Latest research on young driver road safety in Australia and Germany will be highlighted at a University of the Sunshine Coast-presented international seminar on Friday 29 July.

The seminar has been organised by USC academic Dr Bridie Scott-Parker whose presentation, ‘Are parents and learner drivers seeing the same road?’ will include her innovative research that featured in the ABC’s ‘7.30 Report’ on 7 June.

Media are invited to the event at USC’s Sunshine Coast Mind and Neuroscience – Thompson Institute, Birtinya, from 9am to noon on Friday 29 July.

There will be presentations by two researchers from the Institute for Empirical Sociology at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in Bavaria.
 
Dr Walter Funk will discuss ‘Accompanied driving from age 17’; and Bernhard Schrauth will speak on the topic, ‘Relevance of peers and other social resources for participation in the voluntary German accompanied driving scheme’.

A presentation by Cassandra Gauld from QUT’s Centre for Accident Research & Road Safety – Queensland (CARRS-Q) will examine ‘Reducing smartphone use among young drivers: Are the messages having the desired effect?’.

Dr Scott-Parker, who leads USC’s Adolescent Risk Research Unit, said the free seminar would be of interest to parents, teachers, academics, policy-makers and driving instructors, as well as young drivers.

“Young driver road safety has been an important issue around the world for more than six decades and this is a great opportunity for USC to join German and Australian colleagues in sharing our latest findings,” she said.

“Both Germany and Australia unfortunately face the same fundamental problem. Young people represent a small proportion of licensed drivers on our roads but are up to four times more likely to die in a road crash than older, more experienced drivers like their parents.

“Our Germany-Australia research collaborations examine different licensing systems. Australia uses graduated licensing (learner, red provisional, green provisional) with different driving conditions and restrictions. Germany’s multi-stage program is called AD17, for Accompanied Driving for 17-year-olds.

“This seminar will allow us to look at each country’s experiences to gain insight into improving young driver road safety not just on the Sunshine Coast, but across the world.”

It will be chaired by USC Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation) Professor Roland De Marco.

For details or to register, call Robyn Warn on 5430 1239 or email FABEvents@usc.edu.au

— Julie Schomberg