Road Safety Communication Campaigns Research Articles

Road Safety Communication Campaigns in South Punjab: Knowledge, Attitude and Practices

Purpose: The main objective of this study is to examine the effects of communication campaigns launched by different public sector departments and organizations to create awareness among the road users in Southern Punjab-Pakistan, while analyzing the knowledge, attitude and practices of the road users especially the drivers of the region. 
 Design/Methodology/Approach: The researchers employed survey technique by developing a structured questionnaire on five-point Likert Scale along with 35 close ended questions and distributed among the road users in Southern Punjab. A sample of 500 road users was selected from five main districts of South Punjab.
 Findings: The findings revealed that above 80 percent road users believe communication campaign launched by Motorways Police have effective role in changing the attitude of the road users i.e., drivers. Findings revealed after exposed to such campaigns, drivers behave more sophistically during their driving. According to the findings, there should be synchronized collective role of the related departments for effective solution of the common phenomenon and the problems drivers confront to during driving.
 Implications/Originality/Value: The study has opened new horizons for future researchers to conduct future research studies with different socio-psychological effects and new trends of awareness especially with the influx of social media can play more compact role.

Reprint of “Persuasive appeals in road safety communication campaigns: Theoretical frameworks and practical implications from the analysis of a decade of road safety campaign materials”

Communication campaigns are employed as an important tool to promote road safety practices. Researchers maintain road safety communication campaigns are more effective when their persuasive appeals, which are central to their communicative strategy, are based on explicit theoretical frameworks. This study's main objectives were to develop a detailed categorization of persuasive appeals used in road safety communication campaigns that differentiate between appeals that appear to be similar but differ conceptually, and to indicate the advantages, limitations and ethical issues associated with each type, drawing on behavior change theories. Materials from over 300 campaigns were obtained from 41 countries, mainly using road safety organizations’ websites. Drawing on the literature, five types of main approaches were identified, and the analysis yielded a more detailed categorizations of appeals within these general categories. The analysis points to advantages, limitations, ethical issues and challenges in using different types of appeals. The discussion summarizes challenges in designing persuasive-appeals for road safety communication campaigns.

Predicting the effectiveness of road safety campaigns through alternative research designs

IntroductionA large number of road safety communication campaigns have been designed and implemented in the recent years; however their explicit impact on driving behavior and road accident rates has been estimated in a rather low proportion. MethodBased on the findings of the evaluation of three road safety communication campaigns addressing the issues of drinking and driving, seat belt usage, and driving fatigue, this paper applies different types of research designs (i.e., experimental, quasi-experimental, and non-experimental designs), when estimating the effectiveness of road safety campaigns, implements a cross-design assessment, and conducts a cross-campaign evaluation. An integrated evaluation plan was developed, taking into account the structure of evaluation questions, the definition of measurable variables, the separation of the target audience into intervention (exposed to the campaign) and control (not exposed to the campaign) groups, the selection of alternative research designs, and the appropriate data collection methods and techniques. ResultsEvaluating the implementation of different research designs in estimating the effectiveness of road safety campaigns, results showed that the separate pre-post samples design demonstrated better predictability than other designs, especially in data obtained from the intervention group after the realization of the campaign. ConclusionsThe more constructs that were added to the independent variables, the higher the values of the predictability were. The construct that most affects behavior is intention, whereas the rest of the constructs have a lower impact on behavior. This is particularly significant in the Health Belief Model (HBM). On the other hand, behavioral beliefs, normative beliefs, and descriptive norms, are significant parameters for predicting intention according to the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). Practical applicationsThe theoretical and applied implications of alternative research designs and their applicability in the evaluation of road safety campaigns are provided by this study.

Tailoring in risk communication by linking risk profiles and communication preferences: The case of speeding of young car drivers

Speeding is one of the most relevant risk behaviors for serious and fatal accidents, particularly among young drivers. This study presents a tailoring strategy for anti-speeding communication. By referring to their motivational dispositions toward speeding derived from motivational models of health behavior, young car drivers were segmented into different risk groups. In order to ensure that risk communication efforts would actually be capable to target these groups, the linkage between the risk profiles and communication preferences were explored. The study was conducted on the basis of survey data of 1168 German car drivers aged between 17 and 24 years. The data reveal four types of risk drivers significantly differing in their motivational profiles. Moreover, the findings show significant differences in communication habits and media use between these risk groups. By linking the risk profiles and communication preferences, implications for tailoring strategies of road safety communication campaigns are derived. Promising segmentation and targeting strategies are discussed also beyond the current case of anti-speeding campaigns.

Persuasive appeals in road safety communication campaigns: Theoretical frameworks and practical implications from the analysis of a decade of road safety campaign materials

Communication campaigns are employed as an important tool to promote road safety practices. Researchers maintain road safety communication campaigns are more effective when their persuasive appeals, which are central to their communicative strategy, are based on explicit theoretical frameworks. This study's main objectives were to develop a detailed categorization of persuasive appeals used in road safety communication campaigns that differentiate between appeals that appear to be similar but differ conceptually, and to indicate the advantages, limitations and ethical issues associated with each type, drawing on behavior change theories. Materials from over 300 campaigns were obtained from 41 countries, mainly using road safety organizations’ websites. Drawing on the literature, five types of main approaches were identified, and the analysis yielded a more detailed categorizations of appeals within these general categories. The analysis points to advantages, limitations, ethical issues and challenges in using different types of appeals. The discussion summarizes challenges in designing persuasive-appeals for road safety communication campaigns.

A theoretical perspective on road safety communication campaigns

This paper proposes a theoretical perspective on road safety communication campaigns, which may help in identifying the conditions under which such campaigns can be effective. The paper proposes that, from a theoretical point of view, it is reasonable to assume that road user behaviour is, by and large, subjectively rational. This means that road users are assumed to behave the way they think is best. If this assumption is accepted, the best theoretical prediction is that road safety campaigns consisting of persuasive messages only will have no effect on road user behaviour and accordingly no effect on accidents. This theoretical prediction is not supported by meta-analyses of studies that have evaluated the effects of road safety communication campaigns. These analyses conclude that, on the average, such campaigns are associated with an accident reduction. The paper discusses whether this finding can be explained theoretically. The discussion relies on the distinction made by many modern theorists between bounded and perfect rationality. Road user behaviour is characterised by bounded rationality. Hence, if road users can gain insight into the bounds of their rationality, so that they see advantages to themselves of changing behaviour, they are likely to do so. It is, however, largely unknown whether such a mechanism explains why some road safety communication campaigns have been found to be more effective than others.

The effect of drivers gender on the perception of Portuguese road safety communication campaigns

The road safety campaigns use a range of media and marketing communication techniques to alert drivers to take appropriate behavior on the road. The aim of this study was to investigate how gender differences influence the behavior and attitude of the Portuguese drivers regarding driving as well as the attitude toward the road safety campaigns. In Portugal, there are no studies that analyze the gender difference related to road safety, which reinforces its relevance. To implement this purpose, firstly it was described the profile of drivers by gender regarding a set of behavioral variables. The attitude of drivers toward the road safety communication campaigns was analyzed and drivers were grouped by clusters, aiming its characterization as possible targets of communication actions for road safety marketing.

Road safety communication campaigns: Research designs and behavioral modeling

Communication campaigns are used as a rather efficient strategy to approach the wide audience in terms of promoting road safety and improving driving behavior. Incorporation of the evaluation in the campaign design is considered of high importance, since it provides information about the effectiveness of the campaign. Literature review on road safety campaigns, conducted in the last decade, highlights the importance, as well as the limited application of a well structured theoretical background when designing and implementing a road safety campaign, that could enable predicting possible behavioral changes of the road users owing to the campaign, and facilitate the assessment of its effectiveness. The scope of this study is to examine the predictability of alternative research designs as regards driving behavior, when evaluating the effectiveness of road safety campaigns; moreover, to assess the impact of the various parameters and predict behavioral changes. The conclusions drawn rely on the results of the assessment of the impacts of two local campaigns, one on drink and drive and the other on seat belt usage, both implemented on a university campus, with its 1587 students (drivers and passengers) forming the target group. Both campaigns were designed taking as a premise for design and assessment the Theory of Planned Behavior, and an attempt was made of developing alternative models for correlating behavior and intentions with behavioral beliefs, control beliefs, normative beliefs, and descriptive norms. Increase of the predictability of the models was noticed as more constructs were being added; especially, when past behavior was added in the models predicting intention, and intention in the models predicting behavior. This demonstrates the high correlation between these two constructs. The theoretical and applied implications of the models are discussed.

Do Road Safety Communication Campaigns Work?

Road safety communication campaigns are considered an efficient strategy for reaching a wide audience. They aim at reducing the number and severity of road crashes by influencing road user behavior. Despite the large number of campaigns that have been designed and implemented in recent years, few have been formally evaluated. This paper presents the evaluation design and the implementation of a national road safety communication campaign on the effects of fatigue on driving behavior. The campaign targeted primarily professional drivers and, secondarily, all other drivers The definition of the objectives of the campaign was addressed through the health belief model. Objectives included increasing awareness of the severity of driving while fatigued and of effective countermeasures. The measurement variables of the evaluation design, also addressed by the health belief model, were knowledge, behavioral beliefs, risk comprehension, behavioral intentions, past behavior, and self-reported behavior. The evaluation was based on a nonexperimental design. The use of control groups was not feasible, since the whole population was exposed to the campaign and data were collected by means of a face-to-face questionnaire survey conducted before, during, and after campaign implementation. Process and outcome evaluations were conducted to assess the impact of the campaign on driving behavior. Results indicated that the audience was reached at a mean rate of 13%, and the distribution of campaign leaflets was the most effective media channel (70%). In addition, a statistically significant increase in the proportion of respondents who were aware of the causes and effects of fatigue while driving was observed. Similar results were indicated in testing behavioral beliefs, risk comprehension, behavioral intentions, and past behavior. The main message of the campaign reached both the primary and the secondary target groups, and its success can be seen by the increase in the percentage of professional drivers and all other drivers who self-reported that they stop and rest for 15 min in the “during” and “after” phases, as compared with the “before” phase.

Does the Theme of a Road Safety Communication Campaign Affect its Success?

Road safety communication campaigns are considered as an efficient strategy to approach the wide audience and influence road users towards a safe behavior, with main aim to lead to the reduction of the number and the severity of road accidents. When designing the implementation of a campaign, it is important to plan at the same time its evaluation, so that to enable the assessment of its effectiveness. For the achievement of high reliability and the development of “clear” conclusions, the campaign evaluation should be carefully organized, following a feasible scientific design. Towards this direction, three road safety campaigns, two local campaigns addressing drink driving and seat belt usage, and one national campaign addressing driving fatigue, were implemented and evaluated. Presenting the design components of the three campaigns and the evaluation results, this paper aims at revealing the similarities and differences of the effectiveness of road safety communication campaigns on driving behavior.

Unrealistic Optimism: Present and Future

Unrealistic Optimism: Present and Future