Addressing issues of driver distraction in traffic offender management

This paper presents a driver distraction curriculum that has been developed for use with traffic offenders caught using mobile phones, smartphones and similar nomadic communications devices. The curriculum integrates with similar materials developed for use with high school students (pre-driver), learner drivers, solo novice drivers, and fleet drivers. The development of a driver distraction curriculum followed the Conference on Traffic Offender Programs in December 2011, which provided an up-to-date summary of traffic offender management in New South Wales and included accounts of the curricula used in offender programs. Interestingly, while programs addressed issues of alcohol or other drug impairment, speeding, driver fatigue, and occupant restraint, no previous traffic offender intervention program included a curriculum element relating to driver distraction. An example of the use of the driver distraction curriculum for an individual offender (a bus driver) is presented and discussed.