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Published VersionCC BY-NC-ND V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
Examining the utility of the social norm approach in reducing young drivers hand-held phone use while driving
Transportation Research. Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, Vol.112, pp.221-235
2025
Appears in UniSC Supported Open Access Outputs
Abstract
Hand-held phone use while driving is a prevalent behaviour in young drivers. Therefore, it is important to explore the use of novel approaches in reducing this behaviour among this cohort. The social norm approach suggests behaviour change can be encouraged by providing information on others’ engagement in, and approval of, a behaviour. Yet, the social norm approach has received limited attention in road safety. Therefore, the current study aimed to examine whether the approach could reduce young drivers’ self-reported engagement in hand-held phone use while driving over time. A 3 (time: baseline, post-intervention, follow-up) × 3 (message: social norm [n = 27], active control [n = 27], non-active control [n = 29]) mixed-factorial design was conducted, involving 83 young drivers residing in Queensland, Australia. In the social norm group and fear-based group (active control), approval of hand-held phone use while driving significantly reduced, as well as perceptions of others’ (of the same age and gender) engagement in the behaviour, at a one-week (for the social norm message only) and one-month follow-up (revealing medium-to-large effect sizes). Further, perceptions of others’ (of the same age and gender and of the same age) approval of the behaviour reduced in the social norm group. Finally, self-reported engagement in hand-held phone use while driving significantly reduced across the sample, yet did not vary between groups.
Details
- Title
- Examining the utility of the social norm approach in reducing young drivers hand-held phone use while driving
- Authors
- Michelle Nicolls (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Road Safety Research CollaborationVerity Truelove (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Road Safety Research CollaborationKayla Stefanidis (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Law and Society
- Publication details
- Transportation Research. Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, Vol.112, pp.221-235
- Publisher
- Elsevier Ltd
- Date published
- 2025
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.trf.2025.04.006
- ISSN
- 1873-5517; 1369-8478
- Copyright note
- © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
- Data Availability
- The data are not publicly available due to privacy or ethical restrictions.
- Grant note
- This project was funded by the MAIC/UniSC Road Safety Research Collaboration grant.
- Organisation Unit
- Road Safety Research Collaboration; School of Law and Society
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991122352602621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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- Web Of Science research areas
- Psychology, Applied
- Transportation
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