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Published VersionCC BY V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
Risky Driving and Enforcement Legitimacy on Queensland Beaches: A Study of Offending and Legitimacy
Journal of Road Safety, Vol.36(2), pp.23-36
2025
Abstract
This study investigated the relationship between self-reported offending behaviours of drivers and their views of enforcement legitimacy on Queensland beaches. Despite the growing interest in beach driving offending due to many serious injury and fatal crashes, limited research contrasts self-reported offending in beach versus road environments. This study builds on previous research on beach offending by examining drivers’ views of legitimacy regarding rangers and police and their self-reported offending in both driving environments. Two main objectives guided this research: firstly, to examine and contrast self-reported offending of drivers in beach and road locations; secondly, to determine if lower views of legitimacy in police or rangers correlated with higher offending rates in either environment. In total, 702 participants completed the survey and provided demographic data, driving experience, compliance with road rules, and views of legitimacy regarding enforcement agencies. Key findings identified statistically significant differences in behaviour by location. Higher rates of offending on roads compared to beaches were reported for speeding and drink driving while higher rates of offending on beaches were reported for seatbelts (i.e., non-use). Chi-square analysis revealed a significant relationship between views of legitimacy and offending behaviour, suggesting that higher views of the legitimacy of enforcement agencies is significantly associated with lower offending rates. These findings underscore the potential impact of enhancing views of legitimacy through community policing strategies to improve compliance with the road rules and overall road safety on beaches. The study highlights the need for targeted enforcement and education efforts to address unique challenges related to driving in beach environments.
Details
- Title
- Risky Driving and Enforcement Legitimacy on Queensland Beaches: A Study of Offending and Legitimacy
- Authors
- Levi Anderson (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Road Safety Research CollaborationMichele Clark - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Road Safety Research Collaboration
- Publication details
- Journal of Road Safety, Vol.36(2), pp.23-36
- Publisher
- Australasian College of Road Safety
- Date published
- 2025
- DOI
- 10.33492/JRS-D-25-1-2472594
- ISSN
- 2652-4252; 2652-4260
- Copyright note
- This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CCBY-4.0). View this license’s legal deed at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 and legal code at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode for more information.
- Data Availability
- The participants of this study did not give written consent for their data to be shared publicly or outside of the research team, so due to the sensitive nature of the research supporting data are not available.
- Grant note
- This research was conducted by the Road Safety Research Collaboration, funded jointly by the Motor Accident Insurance Commission and the University of the Sunshine Coast.
- Organisation Unit
- Road Safety Research Collaboration; School of Law and Society
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991129994802621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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