The latest findings on the behaviour of young drivers will be shared with the public at USC’s fourth annual Young Drivers’ Seminar on Wednesday 29 November from 8.30am to noon.

Senior Research Fellow Dr Bridie Scott-Parker has organised the free seminar at USC’s Sunshine Coast campus at Sippy Downs to encourage more people to make a difference in road safety.

Dr Scott-Parker, who leads USC’s Adolescent Risk Research Unit, said the theme would be, ‘The windows are open but nobody is home: Young drivers and hazard perception’.

She said her study had revealed that P-platers were at risk on the roads as they were still developing their situation awareness skills, despite passing their driving test and completing the logbook requirement of 100 hours’ supervised practice.

“A considerable part of the problem is that P-platers simply do not fully understand the risks to themselves, or the risks they pose to others on the road,” she said.

She said ongoing research was needed to better tailor programs to minimise these risks.

The seminar will include academics from Queensland University of Technology, The University of Queensland and the University of Waikato sharing their findings relating to driver distraction; comparing young drivers in Israel and Queensland; and adolescent neurodevelopment in relation to driving.

“This is an opportunity for the public to hear about research from Australia, Israel and New Zealand, and to meet others in our community who are interested in improving road safety.”

— Julie Schomberg