Working with indigenous communities to improve driver licensing protocols and offender management

A recent national investigation of Indigenous road safety in Australia conducted by CARRS-Q and ARRB Transport Ltd identified unlicensed driving as a major social and road safety problem facing this high-risk population. This paper discusses the methodology used in the "problem identification" phase of a larger four-year collaborative project aiming to increase Indigenous licensing and retention rates by improving all aspects of the licensing process - from entry into the system to offender management. The multi-faceted research design involves: (i) focus groups in 13 Queensland Indigenous communities to identify perceptions of the current licensing system and sanctions, unmet licensing needs and cultural, attitudinal and access barriers [community perspective]; (ii) semi-structured interviews with 50 Indigenous licensing offenders to examine factors contributing to higher incarceration rates [offender perspective]; and (iii) interagency focus groups to identify priority directions and establish roles to address unmet licensing needs [government perspective]. (Author/publisher) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E210298.