Share the road

How to run campaigns related to speed, driveway safety, giving way and cycle courtesy.

Project format

In the literature review associated with this project a format for a good practice share the road project was proposed. We have therefore taken each of the eight issue strands above and suggested actions for creating a good practice project to address it. These activities can be used as they are, or can form starter ideas for groups to come up with their own ideas.

For each of the eight issue strands, we have suggested:

• community action
• community groups to involve in planning
• messages to communicate
• media to use
• emotional slant
• enforcement
• events
• related resources.

Community action

Community actions are collective actions by local communities to increase people’s control over the area they live in.

Community action in road safety can occur when local community members take an active part in a promotional project. Community groups may develop their own novel and interesting ideas about how they can be involved in the action. Members of the community may approach members of the target group personally to deliver messages – they may feature in advertisements or they may take to the streets wearing, carrying or handing out messages. Some examples of community action are school students crossing the road carrying placards asking drivers to slow down, cyclists wearing t-shirts with messages or parking wardens giving prizes to parents parking correctly outside a school.

Community groups to involve in planning

The benefits of involving members of your community in the planning process are:

• they are more likely to accept the project, because they will feel the project belongs to them
• they will bring information about the community that may not be available or apparent to other people.

If you involve community members who are also in your target group:

• you will find out more about their beliefs and attitudes, and how to reach them
• you will be able to test messages and ideas with the target group. It may also be useful to include members of groups who are affected by the project, such as pedestrians who are at risk from speeding drivers.

Messages to communicate

Projects are more effective if the target group for the promotion is clearly asked to change an aspect of their behaviour. Giving them information without asking them for a specific behaviour change may not be effective because they won’t see themselves as being able to make a difference. Asking for a change in the behaviour of the target group gives them something to aim for and makes them more likely to take action. All messages provided should be clear and easy to understand. They should also be positive, as positive requests are often viewed more favourably than negatively worded requests. The project can be evaluated by asking them if they changed their behaviour as a result of the promotion.

Media to use

Different target groups are reached more easily by different kinds of media. If you want to reach the general driving, cycling or walking population, a variety of media will need to be used. Older people might be reached through advertising in a newspaper targeted at that age group. Creative ideas to do with mobile phones might be a way to reach teenagers¹. Radio and cinema advertising can be targeted according to radio stations or films popular with the age group you are targeting.

Specific groups such as truck drivers, different ethnic groups or commercial drivers might be targeted through magazines that contain information related to their occupation. Information can also be distributed at work places or social groups frequented by the target group. Some examples of these are churches, bowling clubs or supermarkets.

Emotional slant

Evaluations of projects and research have shown that people are more likely to notice and remember information and to act on it if their emotions are engaged. It may be possible to design visual material to evoke emotion. Portraying a small pedestrian or cyclist alongside a large speeding car or truck evokes fear. An image relating to loss or being left alone is emotional. At other times, the emotion will be contained in the words. Focusing on the core fears of the target group will engender emotions of distress. The core fears will vary for different groups. Humour is an emotion and can often be used to make a promotion memorable.

Enforcement

Police may be invited to take part in your project by holding an enforcement campaign on the issue you are targeting. Police are good at arranging publicity for their activities and may also be able to add to your media coverage. You may be able to arrange for the Police to hand out information or incentives to drivers while they carry out enforcement, providing a further link between the enforcement and the messages of the project. Police might also like to be involved in events or demonstrations associated with the project.

Enforcement initiatives complement education campaigns by providing consequences for undesirable behaviour, for example speeding tickets issued to speeding drivers. Ultimately it is enforcement that drives people to change their behaviour.

Events

Providing messages and information as part of events can be a way of reaching specific target groups. People at events are often in the right mood for receiving information. If a pack of information is prepared, you may want to include your messages in the pack.

Events can be set up as part of your project or messages can be distributed at events that have been set up for other reasons. Examples of existing events are university orientation activities, Maori sports events or older person’s health days. Events that might be set up specially are mobility scooter workshops or cycle skill days.

Related resources

Existing good practice resources or projects addressing the issue are referenced by number to the list of resources in the companion document. You will find contact details for more information there.

1   Thought should be given to appropriate campaigns using mobile phones. Campaigns should not aim to reach people while they are driving.

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Last updated: 22 February 2007