Fast and furious: A neglected issue in health promotion among young drivers

What contributes to drug driving? An exploratory investigation into the influence of problematic substance use, roadside testing and alternative transport options

Despite a strong reliance on enforcement approaches to prevent drug driving in Australia, this behaviour is still prevalent. The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of problematic drug use (i.e., showing indications of addiction), exposure to roadside drug testing, the use of detection avoidance strategies, and perceptions relating to alternative transport options on drug driving among illicit drug users. A total of 1,541 licensed drivers from the states of Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria completed an online survey. The survey collected demographic and problematic substance use information, as well as items assessing drug driving behaviour. Cannabis was reported to be the most commonly used drug (36.0%); the most common drug of problematic use (27.9%), and the drug most often taken prior to driving (43.5%). Observing police operating Roadside Drug Tests (RDT) was more common among the participants than being tested by RDT (35.7% vs 23%). The results indicated a significant association between being a drug driver and observing or being tested by RDT. The drug drivers were significantly more likely to report using a range of strategies to avoid police detection than the non-drug drivers. Similarly, the drug drivers reported that it was more difficult for them to use various alternative transport options than the non-drug drivers. Decision tree analyses found that significant predictors of self-reported drug driving were problematic drug use, holding a provisional or probationary licence, earning a low- or middle-income, and using detection avoidance strategies like remaining watchful for police vehicles and taking back streets. The findings of this study suggest that ongoing improvements to drug driving enforcement will need to be complemented by health-based approaches designed to reduce drug abuse and dependence, and improvements to public transport, in order to achieve a sustainable reduction in drug driving.

How distracting is chronic pain? The impact of chronic pain on driving behaviour and hazard perception

In road safety research, few studies have examined driving behaviour in chronic pain cohorts. The aim of this study was to investigate driving behaviour among drivers experiencing chronic pain. We compared individuals with chronic pain with age-gender matched healthy controls. Participants completed: (i) an anonymous online survey that included participant demographics, transport characteristics, self-reported driving behaviour, and pain characteristics (ii) a response-time hazard perception test and a verbal-response hazard prediction test for drivers, and (iii) a driving diary in which participants recorded their driving over two weeks. The results showed that participants with chronic pain were not significantly worse than controls for hazard perception and prediction test scores, self-reported attention-related errors, driving errors, driving violations, and involuntary distraction. Drivers with chronic pain did report significantly more driving lapses but this effect became non-significant when variables confounded with chronic pain, such as fatigue, were adjusted for. We also found that participants who reported particularly high levels of chronic pain performed worse in the hazard prediction test compared to the control group (and this effect could not be accounted for by other variables associated with chronic pain). In addition, participants with chronic pain reported significantly higher driving workload (mental demand, physical demand, effort, and frustration) compared with controls. The findings of this study provide new insights into driving behaviour in individuals with chronic pain and recommendations for future research in terms of driving assessment and self-regulation strategies are provided.

Understanding sexual activity while driving as a form of distracted driving

Sexual activity while driving has been reported in emerging research. Sexual activity while driving is a form of distracted driving because it includes an individual (the driver) who deviates resources from the primary task (driving) towards a secondary task (sexual activity). However, most of our current knowledge about the range of sexual activities while driving is based on self-reported data or media reports. Thus, an in-depth understanding of sexual activities while driving and their interactions with non-sexual driving behaviours and vehicle control is missing. Additionally, there is limited information on the context of where sexual activities while driving occurs and the influence of factors such as the environment, the vehicle, interactions with other road users, and other in-vehicle distractions. To cover this gap, a content analysis of sexually explicit media (SEM) was conducted on a sample of 270 videos depicting real driving. We conducted descriptive analyses and used decision tree analysis to explore the association between sexual activities while driving and their interactions with non-sexual driving behaviours and vehicle control. The videos portrayed a naturalistic driving situation of a driver of a moving vehicle engaging in sexual activity. The results show that when engaging in sexual activity, drivers do not present safe vehicle control. Sexual activity imposes additional cognitive, physical, and visual demands on the driver, thereby decreasing safety. Similar to other distractions, drivers engaging in sexual activity while driving appear to mitigate risks. Concerning the potential for legal sanctions, it appears that drivers may attempt to conceal sexual activity by reducing their visible nudity and minimising interactions with other road users. Finally, mobile phones and cameras appear to interact with sexual activities while driving, by imposing potential restrictions on the range of sexual activities. Implications for policymakers and practitioners are discussed.

Processes of a Transformation of Young Drivers' Responsibility for Health-Carpe Diem

Research most often deals with the relationship between risky behaviour on the road and other aspects of young adults’ lifestyle. It is rare that the sense of responsibility for one’s own life and health and for that of other people on the road is understood, due to the limitation of perceptual data. In this study, we researched 198 young adults (M = 19.75; SD = 1.11) using the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control, the Inventory of Health Behaviours, the Criteria of Health List and a student health survey. The chance of risky driving will increase by 50.7% among young adults as their understanding of health as a state increases. On the other hand, when young people feel that others are responsible for their lives, the likelihood of risky driving will drop by 6.4%. The hedonistic life orientation of a young adult had a significant impact on the results obtained which was connected with their understanding of health.

Drivers' gap acceptance behaviours at intersections: A driving simulator study to understand the impact of mobile phone visual-manual interactions

Mobile phone use is often considered to be the main source of distraction on the road. Gap acceptance at intersections is a frequent and complex driving task that requires high visual attention from drivers. This study aims to investigate the effect of mobile phone use on the gap acceptance manoeuvre at intersections. Different mobile phone use positions, intersection type, gap size and driver characteristics were considered in the study. A total of 41 licenced drivers drove in an advanced driving simulator in three phone use conditions: baseline (no phone use), using the phone under the steering wheel (covert) and using the phone above the steering wheel (overt). Drivers drove the simulator three times and experienced two intersection types (straight-forward vs. left-turn) and two gap sizes (4 s vs. 7 s) during each drive. A parametric accelerated failure time (AFT) duration model was developed to evaluate the intersection crossing completion time of drivers. The results showed no significant difference of gap acceptance behaviours between the two phone use positions. The distraction task did not affect drivers' gap acceptance decision, but it increased the crossing completion time by over 10 % compared to baseline. Besides, drivers behaved conservatively at intersections while using a mobile phone, such as adopting a larger deceleration, waiting a longer time, and mainting a larger distance to the front vehicle, etc. However, these compensational behaviours were not helpful in improving the intersection traffic situation regarding both safety and efficiency. Intersection type and gap size were both significant factors of gap acceptance decision and crossing completion time. Additionally, younger drivers were more likely to accept a gap than older drivers, and female drivers spent longer time to cross the intersection than males.

Harmless? A hierarchical analysis of poppers use correlates among young gay and bisexual men

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS

Poppers (alkyl nitrites) are recreational substances commonly used during sexual activity. The current legal status of poppers is complex and wide-ranging bans are increasingly under discussion. Research has identified disproportionate levels of poppers use in sexual minority men. While research on poppers use among sexual minority men exists, little is known about poppers use patterns and correlations with psychosocial and other factors among gay and bisexual young men.

DESIGN AND METHODS

A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 836 Australian gay and bisexual young men aged 18 to 35 years. Descriptive statistics and hierarchical segmentation analyses were conducted to identify poppers use patterns, and correlates of recent poppers use (past 3 months) with personal characteristics, use of other substances, as well as mental and psychosocial health including minority stress, LGBT-community connectedness and participation.

RESULTS

High levels of lifetime (38%, n = 315) and recent (24%, n = 204) poppers use were reported. However, few participants reported dependency symptoms, risky consumption or problems arising from using poppers. The final model included three variables (visiting sex-on-premises venues, licensed LGBT venues, and using other substances) and predicted 85% (n = 174) of recent poppers use. No correlations with other concepts or characteristics could be identified.

CONCLUSION

This analysis further supports the hypothesis that poppers may be substances with a comparably low-risk profile. A regulation of poppers with a harm reduction approach may present a valuable public health intervention.