| Poor obedience to laws concerning speed is widespread and linked to many road accidents. Canadian prevention efforts are mostly limited to convictions and some publicity campaigns. Some countries have adopted a multidisciplinary approach in a global action plan. Amongst possible solutions, France and England have introduced an educative remedial measure for drivers who have been arrested.; Personalised feedback is a brief intervention used to modify health behaviours, such as cigarettes smoking and excessive alcohol consumption. The main goal of this thesis is to compare the efficacy of two brief intervention approaches to reduce speed behaviours (personalised feedback versus a pamphlet). The role of potential mediators in behaviour change such as motivation to reduce speed behaviours is also considered. No previous studies addressing these topics were found when the thesis was conceived.; In the first study, a questionnaire on motivation to reduce speed behaviours was developed inspired by the Transtheoretical Model, which takes into account stages of change (Prochaska & Diclemente, 1982). A total of 112 male drivers (20-35 years old) completed the questionnaire. Results indicated that psychometric properties of the instrument were found to be acceptable. There was also a relationship between assigned stage of change and key behaviours related to traffic safety: adopted speed, speeding convictions and accidents. Though initial results were promising, the usefulness of this instrument to capture individual stage of change regarding speed behaviours requires further evaluation.; In the second study, the efficacy of a personalised feedback on speed behaviours (experimental intervention) was compared to a pamphlet describing the dangers of speeding (comparison intervention). Outcomes included reported speed behaviours, speeding convictions (in the provincial database), reaction to the interventions, knowledge retention and potential mediators of reduction of speeding convictions. After completing questionnaires about their speed behaviours at baseline (T1), 51 male drivers (20-35 years old) with more than one conviction in the past five years were randomly assigned to the experimental or comparison group. Three months after randomisation to groups, 44 participants (86.3%) were successfully followed up by phone (T2). Follow up of their number of speeding convictions six months before the administration of the questionnaires was conducted at six months post-randomisation (T3). Results indicated that both interventions were associated with a significant, though similar reduction of reported speed behaviours, attitudes and intentions concerning these behaviours (T2). No group differences were uncovered in speeding convictions (T3). While feedback was experienced more positively than the pamphlet, it was not associated with greater change. The positive findings seen with both interventions suggest that further study on the role of brief interventions on speed behaviours is clearly warranted. |
