StarTraq Live FAQs

1. Is the StarTraq Live seatbelt course compliant with ACPO guidelines?

There are currently no ACPO guidelines for seatbelt interventions. StarTraq remains in close contact with ACPO and will make every endeavour to ensure that this and future courses comply with any principles and guidelines that may be published.
It is currently the responsibility of individual Chief Constables to make decisions concerning seatbelt diversions at a local level.

2. What are StarTraq’s credentials for developing driver education interventions?

StarTraq commissioned Dr. Julie Gandolfi to conduct a comprehensive review of the current state of driver education, referencing all available research and academic literature.
Dr Julie Gandolfi,  BA (Hons.) MSc. PhD PGCPSE, is a well established and highly regarded expert in the UK Road Safety arena. She has a background in Psychology, with undergraduate and Masters degrees in the subject. She gained a PhD from Cranfield University for research relating to psychometric assessment of police driver risk. Dr Gandolfi is founder of Driving Research Ltd. which specialises in the development of psychometric risk assessments for specific road user groups, and consultancy to Local Authority Road Safety Teams on the development and evaluation of road safety initiatives.  Dr Gandolfi was invited by the prestigious RAC Foundation to contribute a paper to their publication in April 2010 on “Maintaining Safe Mobility for the Ageing Population.”
On the basis of Dr Gandolfi’s research and conclusions, a set of principles were established on which to build a robust education platform. This platform is StarTraq Live: Learning In a Virtual Environment.

3. Is StarTraq Live effective in terms of re-educating drivers?

The review of established theory and published research highlighted that an effective driver education intervention should:
- Create specifically targeted content.
- Base content on educational frameworks.
- Ensure content is suited to delivery method.
- Continuously evaluate to inform programme development.
These are the guiding principles on which StarTraq Live driver education interventions are founded.

The StarTraq Live seatbelt education course is based on a thorough investigation into the theory and research surrounding seatbelt non-compliance and the optimal methods of combating this behaviour:
• The Goals for Driver Education (GDE) matrix. The intervention aims to build upon the driver’s skills base with awareness of “personal” risk –attitudinal, behavioural and situational – and strategies to reduce that risk.
• The Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB). Research has shown that in relation to seatbelt wearing, attitudes are key to behavioural intention and ultimately action. This intervention reinforces knowledge but primarily targets attitudes with a view to influencing action.

4. Is the online education accessible to the broad general public?

StarTraq Live is a very convenient option for users: all they need is access to the internet from any computer and they can sign on any time. The course does not have to be completed in one session.
Most of those people who do not own their own computer have access to one either at work, or through a friend or family member, or a public library or support group. If they are not confident about using a computer, the course allows them to get assistance from a friend or to use the online help of an on- screen “avatar” or guide. There is no need for the user to be a computer expert as the course is simple and intuitive, and telephone support is also available if required.
The needs of those with disabilities are taken into account, and the site is W3C compliant. Users can select their preference for screen colours (for the dyslexic), audio options and size of font. 
The content is interactive and tailored to the individual, making it an engaging learning experience. 

5. Does every offender take exactly the same course?

No. Research has indicated that people learn more effectively if content is personalised for their particular needs. The diagnostic at the beginning of the seatbelt course determine the learning path that is suitable for the individual and so can offer some very specific and specialist information: so a woman of child-bearing age may be shown how to safely use a seatbelt while pregnant, while a male van driver with a negative attitude to seatbelts would see different content relevant to his driving situations.
The main benefit of the StarTraq Live approach is that it can deliver offence specific, individually targeted, interactive education that can change driver behaviour. This is more effective than offering standard material with an overly rigid approach to a widely diverse public. 

6. Is there an offline version?

No. The StarTraq Live seatbelt course uses diagnostic questions at the beginning of the course to dynamically generate the learning path that the individual will follow. With all the parameters taken into account, there are no less than 1,488 different permutations of the learning path possible!  In addition, the course material is interactive to ensure that the user is engaged throughout the course.
This level of sophistication cannot be replicated in a workbook, which by definition would need to be a very basic and simple document that could not deliver the targeted and interactive structure that is  fundamental to the StarTraq Live education process. (The best alternative to the StarTraq Live seatbelt course would probably be a traditional workshop).

7. What is the anticipated take up rate from offenders?

The take-up rate is likely to vary according to the gravity of the offence and the alternatives offered. So for example, the take up rate is expected to be higher for endorsable offences where the alternative may be points on the driver’s licence, than for non-endorsable offences where the alternative is a fine only.
The price at which the course is set (by the local authority) will also have an impact on the rate of take up by offenders, particularly for non-endorsable offences.

8. What about data security for offender details?

The Force’s current infrastructure will be used for this module and no driver information can be accessed from StarTraq Live. Offender details are relayed to StarTraq through a CJSM (Criminal Justice Secure eMail) account and entered into a local database at StarTraq. The import file data is limited to offender name, police force and reference number.
Offenders log into the system using details supplied to them by the referring police force. All payments are transacted securely through PayPal.
A file containing the respective reference numbers of completed courses is downloaded directly onto StarTraq’s systems and a file is returned to the police force with all completions and failures. As the data in this file does not contain offenders’ personal details there is no risk of compromising offender data in transit between the police force and StarTraq.
Access to the system for administrative purposes is through a password protected portal and the database is only accessible by the server support team. The database is stored on a separate server to the web server so preventing any unauthorised access. The database is hosted on a secure site, with limited physical access to the hardware and 24 hour monitoring.

9. What happens if offenders do not complete the course?

Offender details are entered manually from the FPN into the StarTraq Officer Issued Ticket (OIT) database. This acts as ‘holding pen’ for offences whilst the offender is sent a letter offering the seatbelt course as an alternative to paying a £60 fine. The offender has a certain time, determined by local policy, to complete the course. If the course is not completed then the offence reverts back to process and is exported to VP/FPO in the usual manner using the IMPFPN.vp import file.
Some forces are introducing mobile ticketing systems to issue FPNs using handheld electronic devices e.g. Windows Mobile or Blackberries.  If this is the case, then we will work with 3rd party providers of such systems to build an interface to import the data directly in to the OIT system.

10. Where do the proceeds of the course go?

Course revenue (determined by the price set by the local authority) is shared between the customer and StarTraq.
StarTraq takes responsibility for all development, set up and maintenance costs. These include course development and design, technical implementation, ongoing support costs e.g. PayPal, answering user queries, evaluation of course efficacy and a continuous assessment of the functionality.  These costs are covered by StarTraq’s share of the course revenue.
The customer is guaranteed a fixed proportion of the revenue (dependent on the course), with no additional or hidden costs to cover.