Citation

Bates L, Scott-Parker BJ, Darvell M, Watson BC. Traffic Injury Prev. 2017; 18(8): 820-825.

Affiliation

Global Road Safety Partnership , Geneva , Switzerland.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/15389588.2017.1322697

PMID

28453311

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: P plates (or decals) identify a driver's licence status to other road users. They are a compulsory part of the graduated driver licensing system in Queensland, Australia for drivers on a P1 (Provisional 1) or P2 (Provisional 2) licence. This study explored the perceptions of young drivers regarding the display of P plates (decals) in Queensland, Australia.

METHODS: In this study, 226 young drivers with a provisional (intermediate/restricted) licence completed a 30 minute online survey between October 2013 and June 2014. T-tests were used to compare the opinions of people who displayed their plates nearly always with those who displayed them less frequently.

RESULTS: Participants approved of the requirement to display P plates with 69% of those on a P1 licence and 79% on a P2 licence supporting the condition to display P1 (red) plates. Participants on a P1 licence (62%) and a P2 licence (68%) also approved the requirement to display P2 (green) plates. However, young drivers also perceived that the display of P plates (measured from 1 never to 5 nearly all the time) enabled newly licensed drivers to be targeted by police and other drivers (those who do not always display P plates: M = 3.72, SD =.94; those who nearly always display P plates: M = 3.43, SD = 1.09).

CONCLUSIONS: The study findings suggest that participants who nearly always display their P plates are more likely to report that having to display their plates resulted in them driving more carefully.

Keywords: Graduated drivers licenses .

Language: en

Keywords

P plates; decal; enforcement; graduated driver licensing; intermediate driver; police; provisional driver