Impact of mailed feedback on speeding behaviours of convicted male drivers: A brief intervention.

Transcription

1 Impact of mailed feedback on speeding behaviours of convicted male drivers: A brief intervention M.C. Ouimet*, T.G. Brown 2, J.-P. Bédard, J. Bergeron Université de Montréal, Canada; 2 McGill University, Canada marie.claude.ouimet@umontreal.ca Abstract Introduction. No programs for drivers who have multiple driving convictions presently exist in the province of Quebec. The goal of this preliminary study was to evaluate a brief intervention for these drivers. The impact of mailed personalised feedback concerning speeding behaviours of participants was compared to a control procedure (pamphlet describing the dangers of speeding) on speeding behaviours, including reported speed and speeding convictions. Method. Fifty-one male (20-35 years old) who had received at least one speeding conviction in the past two years completed a questionnaire about their speeding behaviours (T ) and were randomly assigned to either the experimental condition, group Feedback, or the control, group Pamphlet. Participants received their information packet 0 days later. Forty-four participants (86.3%) were followed up by phone three months after randomisation (T 2 ). Follow up of their administrative driving records was conducted at six months post-randomisation (T 3 ). Results. At T, no differences were detected between groups. Significant decreases from T and T 2 were uncovered across groups for frequency of speeding behaviours and driving at high speed. Some group differences were detected on other driving characteristics. No differences were uncovered for speeding convictions at T 3. Discussion. The Feedback was not found to be superior to the Pamphlet on reported speeding and speeding convictions. However, exposure to feedback was more effective in reducing self-evaluation of driving abilities compared to exposure to the control procedure. These findings suggest that further studies are warranted on the role of feedback on driving behaviours. Introduction The goal of brief interventions (e.g., motivational interviewing by Miller & Rollnick, 2002) is to encourage two processes considered important to modification of risky health behaviours: cognitive reappraisal and motivation to change. Feedback, a component thought to contribute to these processes, consists of provision of personalised information that describes the risks posed by the individual s behaviour. Most efficacy studies have involved interventions that combined other active ingredients of brief interventions, such as giving advice. Fewer studies have addressed the role of specific brief intervention components in outcome (Bien, Miller, & Tonigan, 993). This preliminary study evaluated a brief intervention involving exclusively the provision of feedback compared to a control procedure in reducing speeding behaviours (reported speed, speeding convictions as well as other variables) in a group of drivers who had previous multiple driving convictions.

2 Method Participants Participants were randomly selected by the Société de l assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ) [Quebec Drivers Insurance Board], which keeps a general databank of the history of all licensed drivers including sociodemographic information, convictions, sanctions, and accidents. Selection criteria were: - male driver years old - full licensure for at least 2 years - residence in the Montreal city area - a minimum of two driving convictions within the past two years including at least one for speeding A total of about 2240 drivers were identified by the SAAQ, and were mailed an invitation on behalf of the investigators. Fifty-eight drivers responded (i.e., 3%), and about 90% of these consented to access to their SAAQ driving file, which were then compared to the non responders denominalised files. No differences between responders and non-responders were uncovered for the period on either number of months of experience since full licensure, speeding and other convictions, sanctions and accidents. Fifty-one of the participants were eligible for inclusion in the present study since they reported driving usually at least 5 km/h above speed limit in a 50 km/h zone and at least 0 km/h above speed limit in a 00 km/h zone (see questionnaires below). Measures Two driving scenarios, adapted from previous research (Lawton, Parker, Manstead, & Stradling, 997), both involving no traffic at mid afternoon with nice weather, were presented to participants (T, T 2 ): ) an urban zone with a speed limit of 50 km/h; 2) a highway zone with a limit of 00 km/h. Participants were queried about their usual driving speed, and frequency of driving at or considerably above speed limits. Other variables were investigated: intention to exceed speed limits, opinion as to what they considered to be excessive speed, and estimation of the probability of getting a speeding conviction and of being involved in an accident. The Analyse des Comportements Routiers Version E [Road Behaviour Analysis] (for T, T 2 ) is a questionnaire that measures the frequency of nine speeding behaviours (e.g. driving at high speed), the attitudes towards eight risky behaviours, and the evaluation of driving abilities while engaging in these behaviours (Bergeron & Joly, 997). Self-report measures of illegal behaviours are susceptible to response bias. Accordingly, the 3-item short form of the Marlowe-Crowne scale (Reynolds, 982) was administered to assess the participant s tendency to respond in social desirable fashion (T ). Procedure After completing questionnaires at T, participants were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: Group Feedback, involving personalised feedback on their speeding behaviours, or Group Pamphlet, involving a pamphlet describing the dangers of speeding (Ouimet, 2004). Participants were mailed their assigned interventions-information packets approximately 0 days following randomisation. Forty-four participants (86.3%) were successfully followed up by phone three months after assignment to interventions (T 2 ). The number of speeding convictions in the six months before T and in the six months after the intervention (T 3 ) was obtained from the SAAQ database.

3 Random Assignment Results Table presents the results of the random assignment to interventions. Results of chi-square showed no significant differences for the allocation to the Feedback and Pamphlet groups. A series of t-tests and chisquare tests showed no differences between groups at T on sociodemographic variables (age, years of education, kilometres driven), reported speed, number of speeding convictions or on other measures such as attitudes concerning speeding. Mean social desirability was 6.57 (SD = 2.64). Table. Results of Random Assignment Group Follow-up No follow-up - Feedback Pamphlet Primary Analysis In order to examine the effect of interventions on reported speeding behaviours and speeding convictions, two analytic strategies were employed: - tests of differences on variables between T and T 2 - tests on Time (,2) by intervention interactions For continuous variables, repeated measures analysis of variance were conducted (see Table 2). For ordinal data, first Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-ranks tests were conducted to clarify potential differences between T and T 2, and then chi-square were done on change between T and T 2 (two classifications: improvement vs. no change or deterioration) by intervention (see Table 3). Table 2. Repeated Measures Analysis of Variance (2 x 2, Time x Group) on Speeding Behaviours Usual driving speed (50 km/h) Usual driving speed (00 km/h) Frequency of speeding behaviours N dl Mean squared F p

4 Table 3. Repeated Measures for Ordinal Data (Wilcoxon and Chi-Square) Driving at 50 km/h or less T 2 < T T 2 > T Driving at 00 km/h or less T 2 < T T 2 > T Driving at 70 km/h or more T 2 < T T 2 > T Driving at 6 km/h or more T 2 < T T 2 > T Speeding convictions T 3 < before T T 3 > before T T 3 = before T Indicates improvement. N Mean rank Wilcoxon χ 2 Sum of Z p p ranks n.s Secondary Analysis For the other measures considered in the study, results indicated: ) between T and T 2 - attitudes towards risky behaviours (p <.00) - intention to drive at: - 65 km/h or more in the 50 km/h zone (p =.08) - 6 km/h or more in the 00 km/h zone (p =.003) - estimation of the probability of receiving a conviction if driving at: - 6 km/h or more in the 50 km/h zone (p =.00) - 6 km/h or more in the 00 km/h zone (p =.007) - estimation of the probability of being involved in an accident if driving at: - 6 km/h or more in the 50 km/h zone (p =.0) - 00 km/h or more in the 00 km/h zone (p =.00) 2) a Time by Group interaction for - the evaluation of driving abilities (p =.04): - for Feedback group for Pamphlet group - what they considered to be excessive speed in the 50 km/h zone (p =.09): - for Feedback group for Pamphlet group

5 Discussion This preliminary study evaluated the impact of a brief intervention involving the provision of mailed personalised feedback on speeding behaviours compared to a control procedure on speeding behaviours in a group of drivers who received at least one speeding conviction in the past two years. Results indicated a decrease of reported speeding behaviours from study intake to three months postintervention follow up across both interventions, but no impact of group assignment on the main outcomes, driving speed and speeding convictions. In other analysis, several significant time effects were uncovered on such related concepts as attitudes, intentions and the estimates of probabilities of arrest for speeding. As well, exposure to feedback was associated with a reduction in the self-evaluation of driving abilities compared to exposure to the control procedure. Since no programs for drivers who have multiple driving convictions presently exist in Quebec, we had to rely on the SAAQ database to recruit these participants. This strategy may have contributed to the low response rate. While no differences could be found between the driving file of participants and non participants, it does not rule out the possibility that important differences did exist between them, particularly with regards to motivation. Alternatively, both interventions may have been effective. Simply filling out questionnaires about their driving behaviour may have provoked cognitive reappraisal, a process thought to contribute to behavioural change. A no-treatment control group (questionnaires but no intervention) could have shed additional light on the veracity of this conjecture. A final possibility is a bias in self-reported driving behaviour at follow-up. This is supported by participants scores on the social desirability scale, which appeared higher than in other male samples of similar age group (Zook & Sipps, 985). Other studies are warranted to investigate further the role of personalised feedback on driving behaviours with a larger sample and a no-treatment control condition to evaluate the effect of questionnaire on change. Acknowledgments This research was supported by a grant awarded from the Conseil Québécois de la Recherche Sociale [Quebec Social Research Council] to the first author for her doctoral thesis. References Bergeron, J., & Joly, P. (997). Questionnaire ACR (version E). Montréal, Canada : Université de Montréal. Bien, T. H., Miller, W. R., & Tonigan, J. S. (993). Brief interventions for alcohol problems: A review. Addiction, 88, Lawton, R., Parker, D., Manstead, A. S. R., & Stradling, S. G. (997). Self-reported attitude towards speeding and its possible consequences in five different road contexts. Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology, 7, Miller, R. M., & Rollnick, S. (2002). Motivational Interviewing: Preparing People for Change (2 nd ed.). New York, NY: The Guilford Press. Ouimet, M. C. (2004). Dissuasion des excès de vitesse : législation, disposition au changement et intervention brève [Deterrence of speeding : legislation, readiness to change and brief intervention]. Doctoral thesis in preparation. Reynolds, W.M. (982). Development of reliable and valid short forms of the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 38, Zook, A., & Sipps, G. J. (985). Cross validation of a short form of the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 4, Keywords: Speeding behaviours; brief intervention; mailed feedback; convicted male drivers.