Search

Introduction: Daily use of cannabis is increasing in Australia, yet there is limited understanding of the driving behaviours within this cohort, including how they perceive and manage the risks of being apprehended for drug driving and involved in a crash after consumption. Methods: An online survey was completed by 487 Australians who reported daily cannabis use (30% medically prescribed patients, 58% male). Results: Current drug driving (i.e., driving within 4 h of consuming cannabis each week) was reported by 86% of participants. Future drug driving was anticipated by 92% of the sample. While most participants (93%) disagreed that their risk of crash increased following cannabis use, participants reported that they would drive more carefully (89%), leave greater headway (79%) and/or drive slower (51%) following cannabis consumption. Half of the sample (53%) perceived the risk of apprehension for drug driving to be likely to some extent. Strategies to reduce the likelihood of being detected were used by 25% of participants, and included using Facebook police location sites (16%), driving on back roads (6%) and/or consuming substances to mask the presence of drugs (13%). The regression analysis revealed that individuals who reported more occasions of cannabis use per day, and who perceived that cannabis does not reduce driving ability, reported a greater extent of current drug driving. Discussion and Conclusions: Interventions and education which aim to challenge this perception that 'cannabis does not reduce driving ability' may prove important for reducing drug driving among the most frequent consumers of cannabis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Almost half the sample reported driving immediately after consuming cannabis. • 26.8% of participants reported waiting a sufficient time to avoid drug driving. • 173,455 drug driving events were anticipated by the sample in the next year. • Medically prescribed users were willing to wait longer before driving. • Offending behaviours stem from a history of drug use, and a lack of perceived risk. This study aimed to explore the length of time cannabis users typically wait between drug consumption and driving a vehicle, and what factors influence such decisions. A total of 839 Australian cannabis users participated in an online survey (26.3% had a prescription for cannabis). Participants ranged in age between 18 years and 75 years (M = 43.3) and 38.2% were female. Driving immediately after consuming cannabis was reported by 41.6% of the sample and waiting 1 h was the next most common response (17%). About one-quarter of participants reported that they waited at least 4 h, thus driving at a time they may no longer be impaired (26.8%). Factors that predicted waiting less time included: a greater frequency of drug consumption (times per day and per month), earlier age of cannabis use onset, using cannabis without a prescription, reporting past-year driving within four hours of consuming cannabis with an illegal drug, and lower perceptions of risk related to driving after consuming cannabis. Participants were asked to report how many days in the next year they would drive within four hours of cannabis consumption, with the most common response being 365 days (37.9% of sample). Given cannabis use is likely to increase through impending decriminalisation and expansion of prescription access, identifying ways to educate cannabis users and extend the length of time they wait between consumption and driving is critical for road safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, restrictions were implemented, however, data indicates road crash rates have not decreased proportionately to the decline in traffic density. This study explored how speeding and phone use while driving (road behaviors associated with a high crash risk) changed as a result of COVID-19 restrictions in Queensland. Two cross-sectional studies were conducted in Queensland, Australia to examine self-reported changes in speeding and phone use while driving before, during and after the easing of restrictions (while also considering exposure to the road and driving location). Study 1 (n = 351) was conducted between 12 May and 12 June 2020, when the majority of COVID-19 restrictions were enforced. Study 2 (n = 427) was conducted between 24 June and 12 August 2020, when restrictions were easing. The findings indicated, overall, self-reported speeding and phone use significantly decreased during restrictions (likely due to reduced travel), but not for those who continued to drive regularly. There was an additional, significant self-reported decrease in phone use while driving after restrictions were eased when compared to engagement during restrictions, which may (in part) be due to the simultaneous introduction of roadside mobile phone detection cameras. These findings highlight the importance of visible deterrence and provide a glimpse of possible consequences if there is a more sustained reduction in policing presence on roads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Snapchat while driving was prevalent social media behaviour in focus groups. • Legal sanctions had little impact on Snapchat while driving. • Not being caught predicts the use of Snapchat while driving. • Belief of safely being able to use Snapchat while driving predicts the behaviour. This research utilised a qualitative and quantitative study to examine a sample of young drivers' perceptions of deterrent forces, both legal and non-legal, for the behaviour of phone use while driving. First, focus groups were conducted with 60 drivers between the ages of 17 and 25 years who resided in Queensland, Australia. This qualitative study utilised an inductive approach to elicit participants' perceptions without omitting important ideas. Legal sanctions were associated with low perceptions of enforcement certainty. Meanwhile, the only non-legal sanction to emerge was the concept of "safety"; many participants were deterred from using their phone while driving for fear of injury or death to themselves or others. The types of social media most likely to be engaged in were explored and sending videos or photos via the application Snapchat emerged as the most common social media application used among the sample. Consequently, the subsequent quantitative study focused on deterrent forces associated with Snapchat use while driving. A survey was utilised with a separate sample of young drivers aged 17–25 years (n = 503). The impact of the threat of legal sanctions on Snapchat use while driving was examined through classical deterrence theory and Stafford and Warr's (1993) reconceptualised deterrence theory. The non-legal factor of perceived safety was also included in the quantitative study. None of the classical deterrence variables (e.g., certainty, severity and swiftness) reached significance while all the reconceptualised deterrence variables (e.g., direct and indirect punishment and punishment avoidance), as well as perceived safety, were significant predictors of Snapchat use while driving. It is suggested that perceptions of certainty of apprehension need to be increased for phone use while driving. The findings show the current impact of deterrent initiatives for phone use while driving as well as provide the first examination of deterrents for the specific mobile phone behaviour of Snapchat use while driving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: While drink driving continues to be significantly more common among male drivers, there is evidence from many countries that shows a growing trend of women engaging in this risky behaviour. The aims of the current study were threefold: (i) determine to what extent a sample of women drivers reported engaging in drink driving behaviour by expanding the construct into a range of definitions, (ii) determine if there were significant differences in self-reported engagement in drink driving behaviours in accordance with hazardous drinking behaviour, and (iii) identify which situational or personal factors would increase women drivers’ likelihood to engage in drink driving through presenting a range of scenarios. Method: Data were collected using an on-line, purpose-designed survey and promoted to reach women aged 17 years and older, living in Queensland, Australia. In addition to questions relating to demographic characteristics, participants completed items relating to engagement in seven drink driving related behaviours in the previous 12-month period, hazardous drinking as measured by the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, and likelihood of driving when unsure if over the legal limit for licence type across a range of scenarios manipulating different situational factors. A total of 644 valid responses were received in the two-week period the study was advertised. Results: The results demonstrate women’s self-reported engagement in drink driving behaviour ranged from 12.6% (driving when they believed they were over the legal limit) to over 50.0% (driving when unsure if over the legal limit the morning after drinking alcohol) and was significantly more likely among those who reported hazardous levels of alcohol use. Circumstances in which women reported they would drive when unsure if over the legal BAC limit were when they were a few blocks from home, if they subjectively felt they were not too intoxicated, or if they needed their car to get somewhere the next morning. Conclusion: Examining drink driving behaviour by way of responses to nuanced definitions provided valuable insight into self-reported engagement in the behaviour and highlights the usefulness of multi-measure dependent variables in order to illuminate a more accurate acknowledgement into both the type (and extent) of drink driving behaviours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traffic safety culture is a relatively new concept which has recently gained attention in the field of traffic safety. There is currently little consensus regarding the nature of the concept, nor how it should be defined. Preliminary definitions have typically focussed on specific road safety problems and the anticipated effect of a strong traffic safety culture. The literature to date has tended to emphasise how traffic safety culture might be created or shaped. However, without a better understanding of the nature and structure of traffic safety culture, discussions regarding changes to traffic safety culture are restricted. An examination of different conceptualisations and definitions of organisational safety culture provides a preliminary theoretical framework for traffic safety culture. Two high risk driving behaviours within the Australian context are compared to illustrate how key factors within this framework can be used to understand and improve road safety outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alcohol-related harms are disproportionately represented in licensed premises. This study aimed to investigate the practices and perceived capabilities of a group of police officers who engage in policing activities in and around licensed premises in a capital city policing district in an Australian jurisdiction. Analysis of the self-reported data revealed that the 254 participants were much more likely to attend to alcohol-related incidents outside rather than inside licensed premises. Policing licensed premises that involved an alcohol-related event was perceived as the most difficult task compared to other forms of police activities, which was mirrored by low levels of perceived knowledge regarding effective intervention strategies to deal with incidents inside licensed premises. The findings have direct implication in regards to training police officers, particularly increasing their perceived knowledge and skill level to deal with incidents inside licensed premises. The views expressed in this journal article are those of the authors and in no way represent those of the any Australian policing agency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Police services in a number of Australian states and overseas jurisdictions have begun to implement or consider random road-side drug testing of drivers. This paper outlines research conducted to provide an estimate of the extent of drug driving in a sample of Queensland drivers in regional, rural and metropolitan areas. Oral fluid samples were collected from 2657 Queensland motorists and screened for illicit substances including cannabis (delta 9 tetrahydrocannibinol [THC]), amphetamines, ecstasy, and cocaine. Overall, 3.8% of the sample (n =101) screened positive for at least one illicit substance, although multiple drugs were identified in a sample of 23 respondents. The most common drugs detected in oral fluid were ecstasy (n =53), and cannabis (n =46) followed by amphetamines (n =23). A key finding was that cannabis was confirmed as the most common self-reported drug combined with driving and that individuals who tested positive to any drug through oral fluid analysis were also more likely to report the highest frequency of drug driving. Furthermore, a comparison between drug vs. drink driving detection rates for one region of the study, revealed a higher detection rate for drug driving (3.8%) vs. drink driving (0.8%). This research provides evidence that drug driving is relatively prevalent on Queensland roads, and may in fact be more common than drink driving. This paper will further outline the study findings’ and present possible directions for future drug driving research. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Traffic offenses can predict a person's likelihood of being at fault for a crash. • Versatile offenders pose the highest risk to road safety. • People who drive while unlicensed are a particular group of concern. • People who commit serious, criminal-type, traffic offenses are at risk. Introduction: The aim of this study was to determine whether drivers who had received more traffic infringements were more likely to be at fault for the crash in which they were killed. Method: The current dataset was derived from the crash and traffic history records provided by the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads and Coroner's Court for every driver, with available records, who was killed in a crash in Queensland, Australia, between 2011 and 2019 (N = 1,136). The most common traffic offenses in the current sample were speeding, disobeying road rules, driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol, and unlicensed driving. Logistic regression models were used to compute odds ratios for the number of overall offenses, the number of specific offense types, and for specific offending profiles that were derived from the literature. Age, gender, and crash type were each controlled for by entering them into the initial blocks of the regression models. Results: After accounting for the variance associated with age, gender, and crash type, only the overall number of offenses and the number of unlicensed driving offenses predicted a significant change in a drivers' likelihood of being at fault for the crash that killed them. Furthermore, drivers who were identified as having versatile (i.e., multiple offenses from different categories) or criminal-type offense profiles (i.e., offenses that were considered to approximate criminal offenses) were each significantly more likely to be at fault for a fatal crash. Practical Applications: This study provided an important contribution by demonstrating how a more nuanced approach to understanding how a driver's traffic history might be used to identify drivers who are more at risk of being involved in a crash (i.e., for which they were at fault). The implications of these findings are discussed with recommendations and consideration for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Various measures used to operationalise drink driving were examined. • Perceptions of both legal and non-legal sanctions for drink driving were high. • Non-legal sanctions were a larger deterrent for drink driving than legal sanctions. • Past drink-driving conviction was a predictor of re-offending. • Age, gender and risky drinking behaviours were drink driving predictors. The threat of application of legal sanctions remains the prominent approach to reduce the prevalence of drink driving in a vast array of motoring jurisdictions. However, ongoing questions remain regarding: (a) the extent that such mechanisms impact upon offending behaviours, (b) the deleterious effect alcohol consumption has on decisions to drink and drive and (c) how best to operationalise (and measure) the concept of drink driving to enhance the accurate measurement of the dependent variable. This paper reports on an examination of 773 Queensland motorists' (across nine local government areas) perceptions of both legal and non-legal drink driving sanctions (as well as alcohol consumption) in order to gauge the deterrent impact upon a range of measures of drink driving: the driver thinking they are over the limit, the driver knowing they are over the limit, attempts to evade random breath testing, and intentions to re-offend. The sample completed an online or paper version of the questionnaire. The majority of participants reported "never" engaging in "possible" (74.5 %) or "acknowledged" (83.4 %) drink driving events, although a considerable proportion of the sample reported engaging in "possible" (25.5 %) or "acknowledged" (16.6 %) drink driving and attempting to evade RBT (18 %) events, as well as possible intentions to drink and drive in the future (22 %). Males were more likely to report such events. Perceptions of both legal sanctions (certainty, severity and swiftness) as well as non-legal sanctions (fear of social, internal or physical harm) were relatively high and consistent with previous research. Interestingly, non-legal sanctions were reported as stronger deterrents than legal sanctions. However, multivariate analysis revealed that legal deterrents had limited utility predicting offending behaviours, but rather, demographic characteristics (e.g., younger motorists, males) as well as risky drinking behaviour were better predictors. In regards to intentions to offend, a past conviction for drink driving was also a predictor of re-offending. These results highlight the ongoing challenges of addressing the problem of drink driving and that some motorists: (a) have entrenched behaviour and/or (b) make the decision to drink and drive before they are under the influence of alcohol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Few studies have examined drink driving from the perspective of women only. • The lived experience of drink driving engagement examined among 14 Australian women. • Taking a risk, self-medication, and subjective assessment as reasons for drink driving. • Drink driving strengthened by perceived lack of law enforcement and punishment avoidance. In Australia, drink driving remains a serious road safety issue. The few studies that have addressed drink driving behaviour amongst women often focus on aggregated statistical comparisons to men or view the concept of drink driving as part of broader criminological behaviour. In contrast, scant research has directly focused on convicted female drink drivers. The aim of this study was to explore the factors that contribute to drink driving in a cohort of women convicted for drink driving and examine why these women were unsuccessful in mitigating the risk of engaging in drink driving behaviour. The study thematically analysed the narratives of 14 women who had been apprehended and subsequently convicted of a drink driving offence in the state of Queensland (Australia). All participants were recruited by way of their attendance at a drink driving education program. Overall examination of participants' narratives revealed drink driving behaviour derived from a complex set of processes including taking a risk, using alcohol to self-medicate and alleviate psychological distress, basing the decision to drive on subjective assessment, and past engagement in drink driving behaviour and punishment avoidance. Underpinning these themes was the participants lack of awareness about the increasing risks associated with their alcohol consumption levels, with cognisance only being achieved after apprehension. These findings add to the limited research addressing drink driving behaviour among women and highlight important factors to explain why women are increasingly engaging in this risky behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author discusses the emergence of telehealth trend in Australia to meet the challenges in health care and to offer opportunities for the medical profession to deliver care in more efficient and patient-centric ways. He cites the demand from both rural and urban communities searching for essential consultations or time-poor patients unable to access regular health services. He also outlines the real advantages of telehealth that will never replace the need for face to face consultations.

• Verbal (94%), vehicle (53%), and physical (27%) aggression were relatively common. • Anger was a stronger predictor of driver aggression than cognition styles. • Cognition styles moderated the relationship between anger and aggression. • Metacognitive beliefs moderated the relationship between cognition styles and anger. • Physical and vehicle driver aggression was more common in male middle-aged drivers. Road rage is a serious issue impacting road safety on Australian roads. This study investigated the psychological antecedents involved in aggressive driver behaviours. Specifically, the study investigated the relationships between metacognitive beliefs, anger rumination, trait driver anger, and driver aggression; and examined the extent of aggressive behaviours in a sample of Australian drivers (N = 246). An inspection of cross-tabulations indicated that nearly all drivers engaged in verbal driver aggression (94%), approximately half of the drivers engaged in vehicle aggression (53%), and approximately a quarter of the drivers engaged in physical aggression (27%). Driver aggression was more commonly reported from males, open licensed, and middle-aged drivers. Structural path analysis indicated that there was a hierarchical series of relationships present, in that metacognitive beliefs influenced cognitive constructs such as anger rumination and constructive expression. Additionally, such factors were shown to more prominently influence trait driver anger, and the degree to which it was expressed. Bivariate correlations also demonstrated that the relationships carried forward to more specific dimensions of anger rumination and driver aggression styles. The findings of this study may assist to identify the origins of psychological mechanisms involved with anger progression and expression and inform potential interventions for aggressive driving behaviours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In December 2007, random roadside drug testing commenced in Queensland, Australia. Subsequently, the aim of this study was to explore the preliminary impact of Queensland''s drug driving legislation and enforcement techniques by applying Stafford and Warr''s [Stafford, M.C., Warr, M., 1993. A reconceptualization of general and specific deterrence. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 30, 123–135] reconceptualization of deterrence theory. Completing a comprehensive drug driving questionnaire were 899 members of the public, university students, and individuals referred to a drug diversion program. Of note was that approximately a fifth of participants reported drug driving in the past six months. Additionally, the analysis indicated that punishment avoidance and vicarious punishment avoidance were predictors of the propensity to drug drive in the future. In contrast, there were indications that knowing of others apprehended for drug driving was not a sufficient deterrent. Sustained testing and publicity of the legislation and countermeasure appears needed to increase the deterrent impact for drug driving. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Remote monitoring (RM) can facilitate early detection of subclinical and symptomatic atrial fibrillation (AF), providing an opportunity to evaluate the need for stroke prevention therapies. We aimed to characterize the burden of RM AF alerts and its impact on anticoagulation of patients with device-detected AF., Methods: Consecutive patients with a cardiac implantable electronic device, at least one AF episode, undergoing RM were included and assigned an estimated minimum CHA 2 DS 2 -VASc score based on age and device type. RM was provided via automated software system, providing rapid alert processing by device specialists and systematic, recurrent prompts for anticoagulation., Results: From 7651 individual, 389,188 AF episodes were identified, 3120 (40.8%) permanent pacemakers, 2260 (29.5%) implantable loop recorders (ILRs), 987 (12.9%) implantable cardioverter defibrillators, 968 (12.7%) cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) defibrillators, and 316 (4.1%) CRT pacemakers. ILRs transmitted 48.8% of all AF episodes. At twelve-months, 3404 (44.5%) AF < 6 min, 1367 (17.9%) 6 min-6 h, 1206 (15.8%) 6-24 h, and 1674 (21.9%) ≥ 24 h. A minimum CHA 2 DS 2 -VASc score of 2 was assigned to 1704 (63.1%) of the patients with an AF episode of ≥ 6 h, 531 (31.2%) who were not anticoagulated at 12-months, and 1031 (61.6%) patients with an AF episode duration of ≥ 24 h, 290 (28.1%) were not anticoagulated., Conclusions: Despite being intensively managed via RM software system incorporating cues for anticoagulation, a substantial proportion of patients with increased stroke risk remained unanticoagulated after a device-detected AF episode of significant duration. These data highlight the need for improved clinical response pathways and an integrated care approach to RM., Trial Registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry: ACTRN12620001232921., (© 2023. Crown.)

Introduction: While research has reported on overall prevalence rates of drug driving, the extent of recidivist offending has yet to be explored. The objective of this research was to examine recidivistic behaviors detected through Roadside Drug Testing (RDT) in Queensland (between December 2007 and June 2020), with a focus on: Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), 3,4-Methylenedioxymethylamphetamine (MDMA), and methamphetamine (MA)., Method: Data were provided by the Queensland Police Service, and contained information on positive drug detections that were confirmed via laboratory analysis., Results: The analyses revealed 50,442 unique offenders with a total of 67,727 offenses, as 25% (N = 12,490) of all offenders had been apprehended more than once (ranging from 2 to 11 offences). MA use was more common among recidivist offenders, whereas THC was more common for those with one offense. On average, the days between offenses decreased with increases in offense number., Conclusions: The findings provide evidence for the extent of drug driving recidivism on Queensland roads., Practical Applications: To deter recidivists and the greater motorist population from drug driving, there is need for greater resources dedicated to RDT to increase both the perceived and real likelihood of detection., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 National Safety Council and Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Unlicensed driving is a serious problem in many Australian states, with unlicensed driving-related crashes (UDC) costing up to $304 million per year in Queensland, and $176 million in Victoria. In this paper, we present a Benefit-Cost Ratio (BCR) analysis of a set of Intelligent Transportation Systems technologies aimed at preventing unlicensed driving by verifying the driver's identity through biometric technology, as well as the validity of their licence. Utilised together, the technology would essentially take the form of a licence interlock. The goal of this program of research (from which this paper stems) was to provide preliminary recommendations as to which technology is the most beneficial and should be implemented as part of a government-led program increasing the functionalities of electronic driving licences (EDL). The corresponding BCR analysis revealed that fingerprints and finger vascular patterns recognition technologies were found to systematically have the best BCRs. In regard to the most effective manner to implement the technology, a corresponding investigation with five scenarios revealed that the greatest benefits would be achieved with: (a) a mandatory system for all banned drivers (e.g., suspensions & disqualifications), and (b) a mandatory system for banned drivers under the age of 21 only. Scenario (b) performs extremely well, with returns of up to 16 times the investment with a simple fingerprint-based interlock. Although often more modest, all systems were found to have BCRs above 1 in all of the implementation scenarios except one. This paper further outlines the findings in regard to addressing the significant problem of unlicensed driving via emerging technologies., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Recent revisions of deterrence theory have highlighted the powerful effects of personal and vicarious punishment avoidance on criminal activity. The present paper reports on an application of Stafford and Warr's [Stafford, M.C., Warr, M., 1993. A reconceptualization of general and specific deterrence. J. Res. Crime Delinq. 30 (2), 123-135] reconceptualisation of deterrence theory to a group of recidivist drink drivers to explain their self-reported offending behaviours. The analysis indicated that punishment avoidance exerted the greatest influence on self-reported offending behaviours, although perceptions of arrest certainty and severity also appear associated with drink driving offences. In contrast, vicarious exposure to others who have been punished or avoided punishment was not associated with further drink driving behaviours. The results suggest that recidivist drink drivers are not heavily influenced by vicarious experiences, and that past behaviour is an efficient predictor of future behaviour. The findings have direct implications for the reconceptualisation and application of deterrence models to elucidate offending behaviours.