Citation

Watson BC. Proc. Australas. Road Safety Res. Policing Educ. Conf. 2002; 6(1): 269-278.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2002, copyright holder varies, Publisher Monash University)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This paper reports the findings of a survey of 309 unlicensed driving offenders interviewed at the Brisbane Magistrates Court. A wide range of offenders participated in the study, including: disqualified and cancelled drivers; expired licence holders; drivers without a current or appropriate licence; and those who had never been licensed. The results suggest that unlicensed drivers should not be viewed as a homogenous group. Significant differences exist between offender types in terms of their socio-demographic characteristics; driving history; whether they were aware of being unlicensed; and their behaviour while unlicensed. While many offenders limited their driving while unlicensed, others continued to drive frequently. Moreover, almost one-third of the sample continued to drive unlicensed after being detected by the police. The results highlight the need to enhance current policies and practices to counter unlicensed driving.