Exploring how the safe system concept might change the way people are introduced to driving

The primary objective of this project is to test the viability of introducing Safe System concepts to drivers at an early stage in the learning process. No licensing authority has yet attempted to communicate the principles of Safe System directly to drivers. By introducing the concept in an easy to understand manner in the ACT Road Rules Handbook, driver understanding of their role in road safety should be improved. The benefits, should the recommendations of this report be implemented, might include priming road users for attitude and behaviour change. This project involved: 1. Review of the Handbook: an initial review of the ACT Road Rules Handbook to identify areas where the Safe System message could be overlayed. 2. Development of messages: production of proposed new content based on the Safe System philosophy and grounded in established theory of persuasion. 3. Review by expert panel: an expert panel to review and provide suggestions for improvement of the proposed new content. Revisions were made to the messages to incorporate the suggestions of this review before presentation to the focus groups. 4. Critique by focus groups: two focus groups to provide young driver opinions and ideas about the style and content of the messages. Final revisions were made to incorporate this critique.