Changing driving beliefs, attitudes and self-reported driving behaviour amongst young drivers through classroom-based pre and post driving test interventions

Abstract

This pragmatic study consists of four cross-sectional and two inter-linked longitudinal studies designed to review two classroom-based interventions aimed at modifying driving related attitudes and self-reported driving behaviour. Subjects, (N=451), were divided into three groups. Subjects in Group 1 (N=176), learned to drive, passed the driving test and completed a questionnaire schedule. Group 2 subjects, (N=123), in addition to the above, attended classroom-based predriver training course while learning to drive. The subjects in Group 3, (N= 152), after learning to drive, received a classroom-based post-driver training course \\ithin three months of passing the driving test. Questionnaires were issued as the subjects started driver training (Time I), on passing the driving test (Time 2), three months post-test (Time 3) and nine months post-test (Time 4). The ftrst study, Time I, tested the predictive ability of Ajzen's (1985, 1988) Theory of Planned Behaviour with regard to the intentions of new drivers to conform to the social and legal conventions of driving and was successful in explaining 34% of the variance. Study two, Time 2, tested for increased driving knowledge and additional driving motives between groups for effects of the pre-driving test intervention. No support for this type of intervention was found. Study three, Time 3, assessed the performance of a post-test intervention informed by the Health Belief Model (Rosenstock, 1966) and Protection Motivation Theory (Rogers, 1975). Using the Drivers Skil1s Inventory (Lajunen and Summala, 1995), results revealed that subjects in Group 3 perceived themselves to be signiftcantly less skilled and less safe. Study four, Time 4, was designed to test for effects of both interventions at nine-months post-test The results revealed that only those subjects in Group 3 had better behavioural intentions with regard to speeding behaviour. Overall no support was found for pre-driver training. However, limited support was found for post-driver training in influencing self-reported driving behaviour.