The FEEDBACK Trial

A unique intervention to reduce road crashes

The FEEDBACK trial aims to reduce road crashes among young drivers.

P1 drivers crash more often than any other drivers!

As you can see in the graph below, a P1 driver’s first year of driving is the most dangerous and the number of crashes gradually goes down after that.

Road crashes account for 1 in 5 deaths amongst people aged 15-24.¹
Although young drivers are only 14% of all licence holders, they're involved in about one-quarter of all serious crashes.²

Probationary drivers are involved in the greatest number of crashes involving injury.

We're trialling a new intervention to reduce the number of P-plate crashes.

We'll use technology that tracks your car's movements , like speeding or harsh braking, to provide feedback on how you're driving.

We want to see whether the feedback we provide to you, and/or the financial incentive, can change how you drive.

1. VicRoads. Reducing P driver crash risk. 2023. Available from https://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/safety-and-road-rules/driver-safety/young-and-new-drivers/reducing-p-driver-crash-risk
2. Australian Transport Council. National Road Safety Strategy 2011-2020. Canberra: ACT, 2011
3. VicRoads. Examination of the Graduated Licensing System on Young Novice Driver Safety 2017

You can join this study if you:

Are between 18-20 years old
Have a P1 licence for a car
Have access to a vehicle you drive regularly
Have a smartphone
Live in Queensland, New South Wales, or Western Australia

What’s in it for you?

Every week, you’ll have the chance to win a $100 voucher to spend how you like.
You may also be allocated into a group that receives financial incentives up to $120.

What do you have to do?

Just download the app, fill out a 10-minute questionnaire, and drive around as you normally would.

At the end of the 28-week trial, you'll just have to fill out another 10-minute questionnaire.

General FAQ

To join the trial, click here.
Email the research team at feedback-thud@unimelb.edu.au.
The research team at the University of Melbourne together with Queensland University of Technology and the University of Western Australia are partnering with Queensland's Department of Transport and Main Roads, Transport for New South Wales, and Western Australia's Department of Transport.
Yes! As long as you are on your P1 licence at the time of joining, you'll be eligible.
You are welcome to withdraw from the trial at any point, although you may not be eligible to receive financial compensation. To withdraw, please contact the research team at feedback-thud@unimelb.edu.au.
You will receive an SMS message on the first day of the trial given that you have successfully paired the FEEDBACK app with your car via Bluetooth.
At the end of the trial, you will receive an SMS message with a link to the post-trial questionnaire. Once you have fill out this questionnaire, the trial will be completed.

The FEEDBACK app and SMS messages

We will send you an SMS message with a link to download the FEEDBACK app on your smartphone. Once you install and open the app, you should automatically see your name and details. Follow the steps by clicking the 'next' button consecutively.
You will receive SMS messages that inform you about the winners of the weekly draw and may also have details about your most recent DrivePoints score, next month's target DrivePoints score, and the current balance of your safe driving account.
You'll receive two messages during the first four weeks of the trial. After the first four weeks, you will receive a message indicating the start of the weekly draw, and some of you will be informed about your safe driving account and DrivePoints scores.
For the next 20 weeks, you'll get a message every Sunday announcing the weekly draw winner. Some of you will also get a monthly message about your DrivePoints score and monthly target. After this 20-week period, there will be a final 4-week period where you will only get two messages, the last one including the questionnaire you'll have to complete to conclude the trial.
You may be able to see feedback on your driving in the form of a DrivePoints score. This overall score is based on factors like how fast you've been driving relative to the area's speed limit, how harshly you're braking or accelerating, and whether your car's movements indicate that you were driving whilst drowsy.
No one will see any information in the app during the first and last four weeks of the trial.
One group will not see anything in the app during the entire trial - but in order to be eligible for the draw, please ensure that your location services remain switched on for the app the whole time!

Weekly draw and safe driving account

If you have a safe driving account, you will receive an update on your balance every month via SMS (along with your monthly DrivePoints score and the next month's target DrivePoints score).
Every Sunday, the winner of the weekly draw will be announced via SMS.
The research team will contact you to confirm your choice of the $100 voucher for either Uber Eats or petrol. You will then receive a text message with your eGift card details. Please contact the research team if you won the draw but didn't receive your voucher.
At the end of the 28-week trial, you'll receive an SMS message with a link to complete the final questionnaire. Once you have done this, the research team will be in touch via [phone/email?] to coordinate depositing the remaining funds of your safe driving account into a nominated bank account.

Data security and privacy

Your data is handled according to the Australian Privacy Principles (APP) guidelines. The FEEDBACK app will collect data on your car's movements, but all of your data is de-identified and stored in a secure database, and is only used for research purposes.
Your data will be used to see whether feedback and financial compensation had an effect on improving your DrivePoints scores. We will also use your driver's licence information to check with each of the three states' Department of Transport whether you were involved in any police-reported crashes during the trial.
Yes, this project was approved by the University of Melbourne Human Ethics Committee and assigned the number...
This trial is also registered under the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR) under the registration number ACTRN12623000387628p.