Road trauma perceptions and the potential influence of the media

Abstract

The United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety (2011–2020) recognises the urgency of addressing global road trauma. Road crashes and attempts to reduce risky driving, including public education campaigns, receive media attention in many countries. In Australia, road fatalities have declined significantly. However, the extent of awareness about this success and of fatalities overall is unclear. A survey of 833 Australian drivers revealed the majority of participants under-estimated fatalities. Unexpectedly, some under-estimates appear based on recollections of media reports. The findings suggest lack of awareness of the extent of road deaths and that, paradoxically, media reports might contribute to under-estimations. This represents a major public health challenge. Engaging community support for road safety, relative to other health/safety messages, may prove difficult if the extent of road trauma is misunderstood. Misperceptions about fatality levels may be a barrier to road users adopting safety precautions or supporting further road safety countermeasures.

Keywords:

• injury prevention
• mass media
• risk perception
• safety promotion
• road safety

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by an Australian Postgraduate Award. The authors thank the proprietors of the businesses who granted permission for data collection to occur on their premises, all those who participated in this research, and those who provided comments on earlier versions of this manuscript.