Teenagers are more interested in gadgets and flashy desig in their first car than they are about safety features. So how do we make them think safety is important?
People travelled a total of 40 trillion km in 2012, mostly by car.
Norlando Pobre/Flickr
Driverless cars could soon be cruising Australian roads if South Australia gives the go-ahead to reforms to its road legislation. The technology promises to increase safety on our roads, but what happens…
All over the developed world young people are turning their back on the car. Why is it happening in Australia?
AAP/Julian Smith
Australians have long had a love affair with the car. Car ownership and use has increased every decade since its introduction to Australia. The car has fundamentally shaped the urban form of Australian…
Economic modelling suggests raising fuel taxes could get cars off the road - and therefore save lives.
Khongkit Wiriyachan/Shutterstock
Road safety is a seriously important public policy issue. Around 1.3 million people die in road crashes around the world each year. Among teenagers and young adults, road crashes are the number-one cause…
Different people behave in different ways behind the wheel of a car.
Flickr/Nuno Sousa
Personality traits can be used to predict a lot about a person. They can tell about their probable career success, if they’re likely to get divorced, their risk at dying early from disease – and now, how…
Would adverts on the road take your attention away from driving? (Digitally altered image.)
Flickr/Patrick Nouhailler
People have to take in a lot of information when driving, including the locations of other road users, lane markings, signals, speed limits, directions and the dashboard display. It only takes a second…
Rich or poor, being stuck in traffic is always annoying.
Shultz6/Wikimedia Commons
“The people that actually pay the most are higher income people, with an increase in fuel excise… The poorest people either don’t have cars or actually don’t drive very far in many cases.” – Treasurer…
Heeding four key messages can make learning to drive a safe and happy experience.
Bridie Scott-Parker
Learner drivers and parents are often thrown in the deep end when it comes to learning to drive and recording hours in the logbook. As part of a unique approach to improving young driver road safety, I…
Listening to that questionable music is one of the reasons we’re still driving cars.
Rommel Canlas/Shutterstock
Cars are still the favoured mode of transport in Australia, despite their known environmental and health impacts. We know that alternatives exist — walking, riding, and public transport — that can get…
Licensing authorities place the onus on drivers to report any medical conditions that might affect their driving.
Image from shutterstock.com
Few states mandate that doctors or other health professionals must report unfit drivers to licensing authorities – and for good reason. Driving is an everyday practice for many Australians, but that doesn’t…
A ban on any mobile phone use while driving should be standard for young drivers – but should it extend to all motorists?
Image from shutterstock.com
If you find it hard to put your mobile phone away, you’re not alone – young adults check their mobile phones around 60 times a day. Worryingly, drivers continue to use mobile phones despite the evidence…
In last week’s election, the respective contenders to lead the nation offered contrasting views on the transport future. One opted to promote urban roads and the other, urban passenger rail. We chose roads…
As we get older, our experience of driving changes, bringing new anxieties and hurdles. But when older people stop driving, their ability to get around decreases significantly. This can have a knock-on…