Citation

Strain S. Proc. Australas. Road Safety Res. Policing Educ. Conf. 2003; 7(1): 234-243.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2003, copyright holder varies, Publisher Monash University)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The Wiser Driver Course is an older driver education program designed to address road safety and mobility concerns that arise with the ageing process. The course is a weekly discussion based meeting over four weeks. Throughout 2001/02 an evaluation of the effect of the course on driver behaviour and road safety was carried out using a 'before and after' survey method. Raw survey data indicated that 91 per cent of those surveyed responded to course material with at least one change to driving behaviour as measured in this study in the three month period following doing the course. Adjustments made to eliminate potential bias from the data set by allocating the unsurveyed course enrolment to the 'no change' category reduced the percentage changes to a minimum of 51 per cent. The short time span and small sample did not allow sufficient exposure to risk factors to establish a safety impact of the course apart from some observations from anecdotal evidence. The research concludes that the Wiser Driver Course has the capacity to positively influence driving behaviour for the older age group.