When deterrence falls short: exploring third party policing and cross-border compliance among young drivers

Lyndel Bates; Margo van Felius; Vere Lambert-Morris; Marina Alexander; Levi Anderson

doi:10.1080/10439463.2026.2644915

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When deterrence falls short: exploring third party policing and cross-border compliance among young drivers

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

When deterrence falls short: exploring third party policing and cross-border compliance among young drivers

Lyndel Bates, Margo van Felius, Vere Lambert-Morris, Marina Alexander and Levi Anderson

Policing and Society, Vol.Advanced access

22-Mar-2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10439463.2026.2644915

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Abstract

novice drivers

road policing

deterrence theory

third party policing

This paper examines the experiences of young novice drivers and their parents who frequently drive across jurisdictional borders. Young novice drivers are overrepresented in vehicle crashes and resulting fatality statistics. Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) schemes are countermeasures used in several international jurisdictions designed to reduce these crashes by incrementally increasing new drivers to more risky driving conditions as they gain experience. GDL schemes operate in all Australian states and territories; however, restrictions vary across jurisdictions. Regular road policing enforces GDL restrictions and is underpinned by the principles of deterrence theory, which proposes that individuals will be deterred from breaking rules and regulations due to the certainty, severity, and swiftness of punishment. Two studies were conducted in Australian border towns to explore this issue. The first study interviewed 16 parents of young drivers and 11 young drivers in the Australian Capital Territory. The second study conducted a small focus group, paired interviews or an interview with eight young drivers from a regional town on the Victorian/New South Wales border. The study found that accessing information regarding GDL restrictions, particularly outside of the state of licensure, poses major problems for young drivers and their parents. As a result, young drivers were not aware they were breaking cross-jurisdictional road rules, and deterrence theory was not as effective, suggesting that interventions based on alternative theoretical approaches, such as third-party policing, may have value.

Details

Title: When deterrence falls short: exploring third party policing and cross-border compliance among young drivers
Authors: Lyndel Bates - Griffith University
Margo van Felius (Corresponding Author) - Griffith University
Vere Lambert-Morris - Griffith University
Marina Alexander - Griffith University
Levi Anderson - University of the Sunshine Coast
Publication details: Policing and Society, Vol.Advanced access
Publisher: Routledge
DOI: 10.1080/10439463.2026.2644915
ISSN: 1477-2728
Copyright note: © 2026 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.
Grants: The road to compliance: Integrating three theories, DE180100778, Australian Research Council (Australia, Canberra) - ARC
Organisation Unit: Road Safety Research Collaboration; School of Law and Society
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991216250902621
Output Type: Journal article

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