Citation

Haworth N. Road Transp. Res. 2005; 14(4): 3-11.

Affiliation

Department of Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation, Centre for Accident Research Road Safety, Queensland, QLD, Australia

Copyright

(Copyright © 2005, Australian Road Research Board)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This paper examines the effectiveness of road safety advertising campaigns using international studies and sophisticated evaluations of large advertising campaigns conducted in Australia. Such campaigns are expensive and ineffective campaigns can take resources away from other road safety initiatives. Unless the effects can be measured in terms of road trauma reductions, benefit:cost ratios cannot be calculated to allow comparisons with other road safety initiatives. This paper examines which road safety issues are amenable to advertising effort, characteristics of effective campaigns, and additional support needed. The types of road safety issues amenable to advertising effort are likely to depend on what the advertising is attempting to do: increase knowledge, change attitudes or change behaviour. For most road safety issues, well-designed and implemented advertising should be successful in increasing awareness or knowledge of that issue in a relatively short period of time, but this depends on how firmly held current attitudes are. Additional support needed for advertising campaigns can include community activities, hotline numbers for more information, other campaign activities, news items and Police enforcement. The ability to practice road safety behaviours promoted by advertising must also be considered within the wider socio-political context of the community.

Language: en