“It is a different type of policing than in the bush”

“It is a different type of policing than in the bush”: Police officers’ perceptions of the differences in enforcement of the phone use while driving legislation in rural and urban areas

Truelove, Verity (USC – University of the Sunshine Coast)
Stefanidis, Kayla (USC – University of the Sunshine Coast)
Oviedo-Trespalacios, O. (TU Delft Safety and Security Science; Queensland University of Technology)

2023

Mobile phone use while driving continues to be a significant road safety concern, despite the severe legal countermeasures to reduce this behaviour. Phone use while driving-related crashes have been demonstrated to be an issue in rural areas, yet research into the impact of legal sanctions on phone use while driving has primarily focussed on urban areas. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate differences in enforcement of phone use while driving between rural and urban environments as reported by police officers. In addition, to provide necessary context, this study aimed to explore how the police officers perceive differences in drivers’ engagement in phone use while driving between rural and urban environments. To address these aims, a total of 26 police officers from Queensland, Australia (18 with both rural and urban experience, 6 with only rural experience and 2 with only urban experience) completed an interview. A total of seven themes were developed from the data. Several differences between rural and urban environments were identified concerning different types of phone offending behaviour, as well as different resources, management and infrastructure that can impact police enforcement. For example, it was suggested that drivers in rural areas have less reasons to use their phone while driving. Nevertheless, when this behaviour does occur, it is more challenging to enforce this law in rural compared to urban environments. The results not only provide important contextual information for phone use while driving research, but also suggest that enforcement strategies for this behaviour may need to be recontextualised to incorporate the more nuanced aspects of rural policing.

Community safety
Distracted driving
Driver behaviour
Multitasking
Occupational safety
Policing
Regional

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:fc3bd843-0d03-408b-848f-afff9f132d19

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2023.107046

0001-4575

Accident Analysis & Prevention, 186

Institutional Repository

journal article

© 2023 Verity Truelove, Kayla Stefanidis, O. Oviedo-Trespalacios