Current Laws Regarding the Graduated Licensing System in Queensland

The lack of well-developed law enforcement and licensing structure increase young driver crash exposure which results in a serious health issue. This report will investigate the effectiveness of the current laws in QLD regarding the graduated license system with the primary focus on 16-24-year-old drivers to minimize the harm of driver inexperience and develop additional strategies aimed at reducing long-term community health concerns. Methods of Research This report relied heavily on data from both the primary and secondary sources to analyze and establish the effectiveness of the current regulations related to graduated license system applied in Queensland, Australia. A significant amount of data was extracted from numerously published literature which was systematically reviewed to identify studies on health public policy interventions to prevent teen driver crashes.

According to the International Conference on Health Promotion (2004), one of the primary action areas in the promotion of public health is building healthy public policy. Furthermore, lack of driving experience, immaturity, and low order perception are the greatest contributors to traffic crashes exposures in Queensland State in Australia (Russell, Vandermeer & Hartling 2011). The above table 1. 0 indicates the proportion of participants reporting undertaking risky driving behaviors on the scale of Very Often, Often and by gender. The data reveals the lack of maturity, low order perception and the overall lack of driving experience as the primary reasons for the participants’ involvement in risky driving behaviors. The information was linked to how the trend changed with the introduction of the graduated driver licensing system.

According to McLeroy, Bibeau, Steckler & Glanz (1988, p. 355), the determinants of health are influenced by multiple levels which include public policy as well as intrapersonal, interpersonal, institutional and community factors. The enforcement of minimum age drinking laws as an alternative intervention is in line with the key Ottawa Charter area which requires the establishment of healthy public policy. Studies have shown that the implementation of the minimum age drinking laws is one of the best interventions that should be considered for integration into policies. A similar MLDA policy was adopted from across all the provinces of Canada, and it had a significant reduction in road fatalities. Various researchers, as outlined in this report, have given varying opinions regarding the current licensing laws and their collective position is that the current licensing laws are not effective to solve the high toll of road crash fatalities.

Apparently, without the modification of the current licensing laws, the situation is likely to worsen in the future. A range of alternatives have been explored and critically evaluated to identify suitable measures to alleviate this menace. The most appropriate measure to address the issue of road trauma has been determined from the evaluation of various sources. Recommendations • Young driver training programs should be intensified to enhance mastery of road laws, safety concepts as well as behavioral characteristics and awareness. http://www. euro. who. int/AboutWHO/Policy/20010827_2. McLeroy, K. au/files/arsrpe/Paper%2023%20-%20Newstead%20-%20Graduated%20Licensing%20Systems. pdf Accessed: Jan 2014. Russell, K. F. , Vandermeer, B. WHO. Magnitude and impact of road traffic injuries. Available at: http://www. who. int/violence_injury_prevention/publications/road_traffic/world_report/chapter2.