Resources to help people drive to the standard     An introduction to changing driver behaviour

home find standard resources research

				Be guided by research themes
					Influence attitudes, values and beliefs The notion that attitudes should play a major part in driver training programs seems to have universal support amongst the community and driver training practitioners. Most driver training curricula point towards teaching the knowledge, skills and attitudes for safe driving. However, when teaching 'attitudes', trainers are often hard pressed to say exactly which attitude they are teaching, how they are teaching it, and how this attitude will ultimately influence trainees' behaviour. In training circles, attitude seems to be an all-encompassing label for everything that is not knowledge or skill. This is not useful because it restricts teaching opportunities and makes it more difficult to pin down the hidden parts of human behaviour. This standard attempts to be more specific and unpacks the notion of attitude. It asserts that attitudes comprise values (what's important to the person), beliefs (knowledge the person has some emotional attachment to and holds as true or false) and behaviour (what the person chooses to do having evaluated - unconsciously - knowledge, beliefs and feelings). The elements of attitudes have common characteristics in that they can all be described on a scale. The following examples apply to low-risk driving.
					Value (Importance) I do not want to be harmed in a crash.
	Who cares, win some lose some     1  2  3  4  5     I will do whatever I can to avoid harm
					Belief (Knowledge attached to emotion) I could be harmed or cause harm even in a minor crash.
	Nonsense     Possibly     Very true
					Belief (Emotionally attached knowledge) I can avoid nearly every type of crash if I am a low-risk driver.
	Ridiculous     May be     Definitely
					The skills of low-risk driving are relatively simple.
	Strongly disagree     Disagree     Undecided     Agree     Strongly agree
					Behaviour (Action following evaluation) There is only one way to drive and that's low risk.
	Does not describe me at all     Describes me sometimes     Describes me exactly
					In the above example, you can see how unpacking the notion of 'an attitude' can help you design purposeful training. For example, if drivers do not believe that driving to the standard can make them safer drivers, or if their values are such that they are prepared to risk harm, then they are unlikely to drive to the standard: you have a place to start. Because the elements of attitudes exist on a scale they provide the trainer with an opening - a means for shifting them. If we can name the values and beliefs that are important to appropriate driving, we can have people reflect on these and possibly move them 'up the scale'. We can also start to uncover the reasons why they may choose not to behave appropriately, even when they do hold such values and beliefs. Training advice Your credibility and that of the standard is critical. Be sure that you model the desired behaviours, values and beliefs yourself 100% of the time. Show your trainees that you do what you ask them to do. Demonstrate ownership of the standard. Say, 'Our standard requires it'. Do not say, 'They want you to drive this way'. If you do not value and believe in the standard, you will send that message, regardless of what you say. Attitudes have a strong emotional dimension. As such, when you teach to influence them you must emotionally engage the person. Just talking to participants or delivering information is likely to have no effect at all. When teaching the human aspects of this standard, be specific about what you are dealing with. Is it a value or a belief? Name it. You may find it is neither of these. Get participants to reflect on and clarify their values and beliefs by using questions and scale measurements. This can help reveal things that have been hidden for a while. This process raises awareness. Help participants recognise that their behaviour may conflict with their values and beliefs. When participants recognise this situation the resulting internal conflict (cognitive dissonance) may be enough to change their behaviour. Make sure participants get to practise the desired behaviours. This needs to happen in an environment that provides feedback and reinforcement. Provide reinforcement yourself and encourage the person's peers to do likewise. Ensure that the environment discourages inappropriate behaviour. Work towards establishing desired behaviours, values and beliefs as the norm. People normally function in balance with their group. Maintain participants' awareness of desired behaviours, values and beliefs following training. Ensure that participants have credible role models that they can identify with. The parts of the standard that are most relevant to this theme are the signs of competence described at the end of each unit. In particular, the information under Does it in the real world provides examples of how a person demonstrates desired attitudes. The specific elements most relevant to this theme are: Drives in a manner that reflects valuing of life and property Reviews and adjusts driving
					< previous Be guided by research themes next >

|       copyright       |      DISCLAIMER       |      top of page      |