Road safety campaigns

The second phase of the work involves the development of a user-friendly, community-based toolkit for road safety campaigns that can guide community efforts to develop effective campaigns that are specifically targeted to local audiences and focused on the road safety priorities that pose the greatest concern. [...] Key factors include susceptibility to the consequences of action, perceived seriousness of the consequences of action, perceived barriers that decrease the likelihood of action; perceived benefits that increase the likelihood of action; confidence in the ability to take action (i.e., self-efficacy); and, internal and external cues/motivators to affect the likelihood of action. [...] Ultimately, research points to the fact that behaviour change likely occurs from the willingness of individuals to adopt the recommended change and the available coping mechanisms, rather than the strength of the fear appeal itself (SWOV 2009). [...] Limitations of the research Although the research and evaluations discussed in the previous sections suggest that road safety campaigns can be an effective tool to raise public awareness and change the behaviours of road users, there are some important considerations that should be acknowledged in relation to estimates of the effectiveness of any program. [...] While there is often a desire to utilize a broad spectrum of tools in diverse locations to maximize reach and penetration, and cost is always a factor, the guiding strategy should not lose sight of the characteristics of the target audience and where the behaviour is most likely to occur.