Young, fast and dead: a fresh perspective from the Early Driving Group

Risk taking behaviour is synonymous with adolescence. Moreover, epidemiological statistics associated with early driver deaths in Australia paint a disturbing picture. There is considerable debate about the effectiveness of advertising and marketing as a prophylactic to unsafe driving behaviours. This paper discusses the search for innovative approaches to road safety campaigns by accessing the perceptions of the novice driver group. A case scenario was developed by reviewing current literature on adolescent health behaviour, risk awareness, road safety and marketing communication. Initial findings from a pilot study with members of the early driving group, imply that they, as members of the target audience for road safety campaigns, do provide a fresh perspective on tone, content and style for campaign design.