The authors describe a project of the Manchester Driver Behaviour Research Group, whose objectives are to produce a resource pack for driving instructors which will: educate driving instructors in the way in which attitudes influence crash involvement; suggest ways in which driving instructors might attempt to improve the attitudes of their learner drivers; provide educational materials designed for learner drivers to digest in their own time, the aim of which would be to positively influence their attitudes towards driving and road safety. The effectiveness of the resources will be evaluated through pre- and post-resource measures of learners' attitudes towards road safety. The project is currently at the stage of gathering information to produce a draft of the resource pack. The draft resource pack will be informed by: a comprehensive review of the literature on violations, young driver attitudes and behaviours and techniques of attitude change and persuasion; focus groups with 47 ADIs from the Staffordshire area to solicit their views on the attitude problems that they encounter in young learner drivers; a survey of the attitudes and beliefs of 200, 17-25 year old, male and female learner drivers. Using the Theory of Planned Behaviour, the resource pack will focus on the following driving violations: speeding; close following; dangerous overtaking, and amber lights.
Abstract