Exploring the utility of a social norm approach in reducing younger drivers' engagement in hand-held phone use while driving: A qualitative study.

INTRODUCTION: Engagement in hand-held phone use while driving among young drivers is a prevalent concern in society, despite countermeasures to deter the behavior. The social norm approach has been effective in reducing negative behaviors in young adults (e.g., binge drinking, drink driving). However, whether this approach can reduce hand-held phone use while driving in this population has not been thoroughly investigated. METHOD: The qualitative study explored young drivers' attitudes and opinions on social norm messages designed to reduce hand-held phone use while driving. In addition, young drivers' opinions on current campaigns were explored to provide further insight into the effectiveness of these messages. Thirty young drivers were interviewed and shown six social norm messages. RESULTS: The data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis, resulting in five themes and one sub-theme: (1) Road safety messages with minimal impact on hand-held phone use while driving; (2) What constitutes an effective road safety message for hand-held phone use while driving; (3) Comparisons between social norm messages and road safety messages; (4) The potential benefits of combined social norms, (4a) Improving and optimizing the message; and (5) "It's kinda just numbers on a screen": Negative views on social norm messages. Results highlight the diverse opinions towards road safety campaigns and the need to increase exposure to these messages. Further, a combined social norm message was perceived as most effective in reducing engagement in hand-held phone use while driving. CONCLUSIONS: The current study provides preliminary evidence that the social norm approach may be effective in reducing hand-held phone use among young drivers. Further, this study highlights the need to maximize exposure to phone use while driving campaigns in this high-risk cohort. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Results support the development of a social norm messaging intervention to reduce young drivers hand-held phone use while driving.

Road rule enforcement and where to find it: An investigation of applications used to avoid detection when violating traffic rules.

INTRODUCTION: One of the primary countermeasures in place to prevent road rule violations is legal enforcement, yet there are numerous applications that can undermine such efforts by notifying drivers of enforcement locations. However, the capabilities of these applications and how they can impact offending behavior is currently unknown. METHOD: Two studies were conducted to understand which of these applications are being used by drivers and how these applications are impacting road rule violations. Study 1 consisted of a content analysis that involved searching the Google Play Store and Apple iTunes Store for applications that could be used to avoid road rule violations using pre-determined keywords. Meanwhile, Study 2 consisted of 468 licensed Australian drivers (54.5% males) over the age of 17 years (Mage = 35 years) who completed a survey. RESULTS: A total of 73 applications were identified for Study 1, with most of the applications displaying speed camera locations. It was found that applications that notify drivers of traffic enforcement locations are widely prevalent, can be used on a variety of interfaces and include numerous additional features. Study 2 found that those who use the applications were more willing to speed than those who do not use the applications, while there was no difference in phone use while driving between those who do and do not use the applications. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: The findings have important implications for stakeholders, policy, and future research. For example, it is suggested that specific functions of these applications need to be regulated to reduce road rule violations and crash risk. Meanwhile, enforcement initiatives need to evolve at a faster rate to keep up to date with the changing technology that can undermine them.

The impact of descriptive and injunctive norms on engagement in mobile phone use while driving in young drivers: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Prior research indicates that younger adults overestimate their peers' engagement in risk-taking behaviours, with these estimates being directly associated with engagement in such behaviours. However, the extent to which younger adults perceive their peers' approval of, and engagement in, road traffic violations (such as mobile phone use while driving) is yet to be clearly identified. Further, the influence of such perceptions on subsequent mobile phone use while driving behaviours remains unclear. Accordingly, the aim of this systematic review was to (a) examine young drivers' perceptions regarding their peers' approval of (injunctive norms), and engagement in (descriptive norms) mobile phone use while driving and (b) to identify whether such perceptions increase young drivers own engagement in the behaviour. METHODS: Studies were eligible for review if they measured (a) perceived social norms (descriptive/injunctive) and (b) the relationship between such norms and mobile phone use while driving in younger adults aged 16-25 years. Searches were conducted in December 2021, using Pubmed, Scopus, Web of Science, and TRID. Five articles were included in the review. RESULTS: Overall, the results indicate that young drivers perceive their peers to engage in mobile phone use while driving on a frequent basis, however they typically believe that their peers disapprove of the behaviour. The majority of studies indicated that descriptive norms were significantly associated with increasing engagement in mobile phone use while driving (including distracted driving behaviours). Finally, the few studies that investigated injunctive norms on mobile phone use while driving indicated positive correlations between perceived peer approval and increasing distracted driving behaviour. DISCUSSION: The findings highlight the importance of social norms in influencing behaviour, indicating that both descriptive and injunctive norms warrant further investigation when examining the impact of peer influences on mobile phone use while driving.