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Fines are the most common form of formal speed limit enforcement applied in jurisdictions across the world. From a deterrence perspective, fines deter speeding through high risk of detection and swift enforcement of financial penalties. Yet, evidence on factors associated with fine payment compliance is limited. In this study, we consider the extent to which elements of deterrence and social behavioural norms influence the dynamics of speeding fine payment. We merge lifetime driving and fine payment records from over 10,000 drivers who received a speeding infringement notice during a one-week period in 2017 across communities in Queensland, Australia with community level socio-demographic data. We combine these data with our indicator of community level fine payment norms; the proportion of residents with an outstanding fine debt and conduct survival analysis to estimate the impact of social norms on days taken to pay speeding fines after controlling for community wealth and driving history. We find that individuals living in communities where a greater proportion of residents have outstanding fine debt take longer to pay fines after controlling for community disadvantage and social disorganisation. Our findings support the social norms perspective that speeding fine compliance is enhanced by normative community behaviours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Examined psychosocial factors that may influence young people's safe driving. • Investigated attachment theory, Perceived social support and Theory of Planned behaviour. • Attitudes, subjective norms, and Perceived behavioural control explain variance in safe driving intentions. • Informational support predictive of general safe driving. • Findings suggest attachment may influence safe driving via an intervening variable such as parental modelling. Few studies have investigated psychosocial influences on the safe (as opposed to risky) driving behaviours of young people. In addition, there has been little consideration of interpersonal factors such as attachment between parents and children in this context. Examination of these factors is warranted given the overrepresentation of young drivers in crashes; that engagement and non-engagement in both proactive safe and risky behaviours are conceptually different; and that parents are commonly the main driving supervisor when young people learn to drive. The study was underpinned by the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), which was extended with attachment theory, perceived social support, and descriptive norms. Predictors of safe driving intentions and self-reported safe driving behaviours were explored with a sample of provisionally licensed drivers aged 17–20 years from Queensland, Australia. Three scenarios were investigated where safe driving was examined in general (N = 209) and in relation to driving in two common driving situations: stormy/raining conditions (N = 213) and on the highway (N = 199). Participants completed an online survey measuring attitude, subjective norms, Perceived Behavioural Control, and intentions from the TPB, as well as descriptive norms, attachment avoidance and anxiety, and perceived social support (emotional, instrumental, informational, appraisal) for safe driving. Two weeks later, a subsample (n = 66) completed a second survey asking them to report their behavioural opportunity and engagement in general safe driving, and the two safe driving situations. Hierarchical multiple regressions were conducted to investigate safe driving intentions. PBC and attitude were consistent significant predictors of intentions. Subjective norms predicted intention in the two driving situations but not in general safe driving. Informational support was a significant predictor of intention for general safe driving. Attachment avoidance and anxiety did not significantly predict intentions in any scenario. However, there may be benefit in investigating the action of attachment style on safe driving intentions via parental modelling. Parental modelling was a significant predictor of general safe driving intentions and may be related to attachment style. Due to participant attrition, investigation of self-reported safe driving behaviours was confined to bivariate correlations with intentions and PBC, with no significant correlations found. The findings suggest that TPB factors including PBC, attitudes and subjective norms may be important determinants of intentions for safe driving of young novice drivers. These findings could be used to inform development of road safety inventions such as media campaigns and demonstrate the value of further attention to safety versus risky behaviours in driving research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• 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]

It was identified through this Australian study that organised crime groups operate in a variety of criminal markets and as a result the methods of organised crime groups also vary. Utilising the Sleipnir framework of Organised Crime to analyse the characteristics of organised crime groups, it emerged that the Sleipnir framework did not reflect the link or reliance an organised crime group may have on victims to succeed in their criminal endeavours. Human trafficking is a crime type where victimisation of an individual would be considered an essential element to undertake the crime. This led to the development of a Victimological Framework and further defined the organised crime attribute of 'victimisation'; which was incorporated into the research on the context of organised crime involvement in sextrafficking crimes in Australia. Understanding and identifying an organised crime groups' ability and need to victimise individuals, groups or businesses is an important element to understanding the context of organised criminal offending. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction : In mid-2007 the State of New South Wales (NSW) in Australia introduced modifications to the existing graduated driver licensing system, lengthening the mandatory number of supervised hours for learner drivers aged under 25 years from 50 to 120 and extending the minimum learner period from 6 to 12 months. Additional driving restrictions were also introduced for young drivers in the two provisional licensed periods, P1, P2. This paper aims to evaluate this change by comparing the crash and offense experiences of young learner drivers before and after it occurred. Method : From driver licensing files supplied by the NSW transport authority two cohorts of persons obtaining their initial learner's permits in the year prior to the changes and in the subsequent year were constructed with demographic data, dates of transition to the driving phases, dates of crashes, and dates and types of traffic offenses. Both cohorts comprised around 100,000 individuals. Crash rates per 100 years of person-time under observation post P1 with their standard errors were calculated. Using a survival-analytic approach the proportion of crashes of all types were graphed in three month periods post P1. Sexes were treated separately as were initial learner ages of 16, 17, 18–21, and 22–24 years. The distribution of traffic offense types during P1 and P2 phases were also compared. With such large numbers formal statistical testing was avoided. Results : No meaningful differences in the crash or offense experiences of the two cohorts in either sex or at any age were observed. Delaying progress to unsupervised driving has road safety benefits. Conclusions : At least in conditions similar to those in NSW, requiring more than 50 h of supervised driving seems to have few road safety benefits. Practical applications : Licensing authorities should be cautious in extending the mandated number of supervised driving hours beyond 50. • We evaluated changes in 2007 to the graduated driver licensing system in an Australian state from its licensing database. • Crash and offence profiles of affected learners licensed in the years prior to and after the changes were compared. • No substantial year to year changes were observed in the crash rates, probabilities of crashing or offense distributions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past three decades, Australia has seen more than a 100% increase in its rate of incarceration. A sizable part of this has come from the rise in incarcerated indigenous people. Australia also experiences problems related to high rates of recidivism, the increasing use of custodial sentences for parole violations, and the use of incarceration for minor offenses such as traffic violations. In response to these problems, a growing number of policy makers, public and private organizations, and academics have pushed for the development and implementation of justice reinvestment (JR) initiatives in Australia. This article provides an overview of JR. It highlights some of the more pertinent problems facing the justice system, offenders, victims of crime, and local communities in regards to the use of punishment and incarceration in Australia. It then considers the degree to which JR may or may not be able to deliver on some or all of its promises, in particular problems that it faces in terms of implementation, use, and long-term viability in Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: Rail accidents can be understood in terms of the systemic and individual contributions to their causation. The current study was undertaken to determine whether errors and violations are more often associated with different local and organisational factors that contribute to rail accidents. The Contributing Factors Framework (CFF), a tool developed for the collection and codification of data regarding rail accidents and incidents, was applied to a sample of investigation reports. In addition, a more detailed categorisation of errors was undertaken. Ninety-six investigation reports into Australian accidents and incidents occurring between 1999 and 2008 were analysed. Each report was coded independently by two experienced coders. Task demand factors were significantly more often associated with skill-based errors, knowledge and training deficiencies significantly associated with mistakes, and violations significantly linked to social environmental factors. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper presents findings from the rural and remote road safety study, conducted in Queensland, Australia, from March 2004 till June 2007, and compares fatal crashes and non-fatal but serious crashes in respect of their environmental, vehicle and operator factors. During the study period there were 613 non-fatal crashes resulting in 684 hospitalised casualties and 119 fatal crashes resulting in 130 fatalities. Additional information from police sources was available on 103 fatal and 309 non-fatal serious crashes. Over three quarters of both fatal and hospitalised casualties were male and the median age in both groups was 34 years. Fatal crashes were more likely to involve speed, alcohol and violations of road rules and fatal crash victims were 2½ times more likely to be unrestrained inside the vehicle than non-fatal casualties, consistent with current international evidence. After controlling for human factors, vehicle and road conditions made a minimal contribution to the seriousness of the crash outcome. Targeted interventions to prevent fatalities on rural and remote roads should focus on reducing speed and drink driving and promoting seatbelt wearing. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objective: To examine differences in risky driving behavior and likelihood of traffic crash according to the country of birth of recently licensed young drivers. The groups examined include those born in Australia, those born in Asia, and those born in other countries. Design and setting: The DRIVE study is a prospective cohort study of drivers aged 17-24 years holding their first-year provisional driver license in New South Wales, Australia. Information obtained from 20,822 participants who completed a baseline questionnaire was linked to police-reported traffic crashes. Main outcome measures: Self-reported risky driving behaviors and police-reported traffic crashes in young drivers. Results: Young drivers who were born in Asian countries were less likely to report engaging in risky driving behaviors than their Australian-born counterparts. The proportion of participants reporting a high level of risky driving was 31.5 percent (95% confidence intervale [CI], 30.8-32.1) among Australian-born drivers compared to 25.6 percent (95% CI, 23.1-28.2) among Asian-born drivers and 30.4 percent (95% CI, 28.4-32.5) among those born in other regions. Asian-born participants had half the risk of a crash as a driver than their Australian-born counterparts (relative risk [RR] 0.55; 95% CI, 0.41-0.75) after adjusting for a number of demographic factors and driving and risk-taking behaviors. The comparative risk was even lower among those aged 17 years (RR 0.29; 95% CI, 0.29-0.75). Risk estimates for people born in other regions did not differ to those for Australian-born respondents. Conclusions: The study highlights the lower level of risky driving and significantly reduced crash risk for Australian drivers born in Asian countries relative to those born locally. Further research is needed to examine factors underlying this reduced risk and the impact of the length of residence in the host country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• 1094 cyclists from Australia, China and Colombia completed the CBQ survey. • Cyclists reported more frequent positive behaviours than risky behaviours. • Australian cyclists reported more positive behaviours and fewer violations. • Males and younger cyclists had more risky behaviours and more crashes. • Cyclists who rode more often reported more frequent risky riding. Cyclists are vulnerable road users and face disproportionately high rates of road trauma, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Behaviour of road users is a system outcome, and thus studying cyclist behaviours can identify problems in the whole road transport system and assist in generating long-lasting, cost-effective solutions to promote cyclist safety. This study aims to investigate the similarities and disparities of cycling behaviour among countries with different income levels and cycling prevalence, and the relationships among cyclist demographic characteristics, behaviours and crash involvement. It applies the Cycling Behaviour Questionnaire (CBQ) to measure the behaviour of cyclists in three countries: Australia (high-income, emerging cycling country), China (mid-income, traditional cycling country) and Colombia (low-income, emerging cycling country). A total of 1094 cyclists (Australia 347, China 368, and Colombia 379) with a mean age of 31.8 years completed the online questionnaire. Confirmatory Factor Analysis was used to examine the factorial structure of the CBQ. The results showed that the three-factor CBQ (i.e., Traffic Violations, Errors and Positive Behaviours) had a stable and uniform factorial structure across all three countries. Cyclists reported more frequent positive behaviours than risky behaviours across all three countries. The Australian cyclists reported more positive behaviours and fewer violations than cyclists from the other countries, which is likely to reflect the road environment, policy and enforcement differences. Male cyclists tended to engage in more risky riding than females and reported more crash involvement. Older cyclists reported less risky riding and less involvement in crashes than younger cyclists. Cyclists who rode more often reported more frequent risky riding. The study helps understand the prevalence of risky/positive cyclist behaviours among countries and provides insights for developing systematic countermeasures to improve cycling environment and cyclist safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years there has been increasing concern about the prevalence of drug driving in Australia. Over the past four years, the majority of Australian states have introduced legislation that makes it an offence to drive with the presence of a range of drugs in the blood or saliva. Using data from the Drug Use Monitoring in Australia (DUMA) program, this paper examines the prevalence of drug driving among a sample of police detainees in key sites in 2005 and 2006. The study found that two-thirds of detainees had driven after using drugs and/or alcohol in the previous 12 months, which is significantly higher than the incidence of drug driving in the general population. Approximately three-quarters of detainees who had been involved as a driver in a high-speed police pursuit reported being under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol at the time of the pursuit. Consistent with past research, detainees were most likely to perceive that cannabis and methylamphetamine did not have a negative effect on their driving ability. These findings suggest the need for continued monitoring of the prevalence of drug and/or alcohol driving and perceptions of the impact on driving ability of different drugs (including alcohol), as well as perceived risks of detection given recent legislative changes that enable random drug testing of drivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyses 2765 cases of driving behaviours in three Australian states - New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria. Data were gathered from in-car coordinated video and audio recording sequences in free-flowing traffic along two-, three- and four-lane highways with varying speed limits on all days of the week in daylight and fine weather conditions. Explanatory variables included driver age group and gender, passenger characteristics and vehicle age and type. Response variables included driving violations and other driving behaviours, including lane use, speeding, close following (tailgating), driver's hands position and mobile phone use. Data were analysed qualitatively and quantitatively. By focusing upon vehicle and driver characteristics, and their impact on driving behaviours, including identified violations, this study explores some implications both for future research and for traffic policy makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the effects of fatigue on train driving using data loggers on 50 locomotives operated by pairs of male train drivers (24–56 years) on an Adelaide–Melbourne corridor. Drivers’ work history was used to calculate a fatigue score using Fatigue Audit Interdyne Software. Trains were assigned to one of three groups, based on drivers’ maximum fatigue score: low ( n = 15), moderate ( n = 22) or high ( n = 13) fatigue. Changes in driving parameters at different fatigue levels were investigated. A significant ( P < 0.05) increase in fuel use was observed. Drivers in the moderate fatigue group used 4% more, and drivers in the high group used 9% more fuel than drivers in the low group. As these trains run daily, taking horsepower into account, this represents an approximate extra weekly cost of AUD$3512 using high compared with low fatigue drivers. High fatigue-group drivers used less throttle and dynamic brake and engaged in more heavy brake and maximum speed violations. Comparison of three, 100 km track sub-sections with undulating, flat, and hilly grade indicated that fuel use increases occurred primarily during the undulating sub-section, and heavy brake and maximum speed violations occurred primarily in the flat sub-section. Fatigued driving becomes less well-planned, resulting in reduced efficiency (e.g. increased fuel consumption) and safety (e.g. braking and speeding violations). Fatigue may manifest differentially depending on track grade. In certain areas, fatigue will cause increased fuel use and economic cost, and in others, reduced safety through driving violations. These factors should be carefully examined in future railway operator research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reveals the finding of the report "Addressing the Crime Problem of the Northern Territory Intervention: Alternate Paths to Regulate Minor Driving Offenses in Remote Indigenous Communities." The report, commissioned by the Criminology Research Council, looks into Australian government's program in 2006 to improve and stabilize communities in the Northern Territory. The report shows that sexual abuse incidents remained fairly steady and that car-related infringements shot up.

The article reports on the increased road death and injury in Australia in 2009. It says that accidents still happen despite preventive measures such as suspension of driver's license of motorists with traffic offences. It mentions that another reason for the said increase is the number of disqualified drivers or drivers who never applied for a license. It adds that using motorcycles with little protection and pedal cycles running in two kilometer per hour are other factors of the said increase.

The article presents the author's view related to the need for roadside drug testing in order to prevent drug-driving in Australia. The article refers to the efforts made by Victoria government since the Australian Parliamentary Inquiry into the effects of drugs on road safety. The article also analyzes the features of drug-driving and state and national level road safety strategies to curb road accidents.