Road Safety Scotland’s strategy to ‘show and not tell’ young men about the dangers of speeding on country roads has been effective, research shows.
Launched in May 2018, the ‘Prepare for the unexpected; slow down on country roads’ campaign used virtual reality to encourage young drivers to slow down and give themselves time to anticipate hazards.
The virtual reality film puts the user in the driving seat on a dark country road, where they are surrounded by ‘banter’ in the car and unexpected hazards outside it. The driver is challenged to complete their road trip in one piece.
The immersive VR experience visited 16 rural locations across Scotland, chosen for high footfall among young men, and the 360-degree film was promoted by various social media activity.
Research shows 77% of the target group (22-29 years) recognised the campaign and 93% said they felt motivated to change their driving behaviours; 79% said they intended to reduce their speed in future.
Michael McDonnell, director of Road Safety Scotland, said: “This country roads activity exceeds all metrics.
“Road Safety Scotland is delighted with the results and I am delighted to be associated with a superb campaign delivered by an excellent and enthusiastic team of dedicated professionals within the Scottish Government and the various agencies involved.”
Is there any links to the study and data relating to the effectiveness of the strategy.
The phrases used to support the efficacy of the strategy are “Research shows 77% of the target group (22-29 years) recognised the campaign and 93% said they felt motivated to change their driving behaviours; 79% said they intended to reduce their speed in future”.
Surely this is not measurable evidence that the strategy has had any impact.
Is there any real empirical evidence that there has been a marked change in behaviour.
Or is the success simply based on the fact the message has been seen and received but not acted on.
Surely success is based on measurable reductions in speeding among the young drivers.
Keith
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