The European Road Safety Charter publishes guide on effective road safety awareness campaigns

The European Road Safety Charter has published guidance on how to run effective road safety awareness campaigns, highlighting their role in improving road safety, including in urban areas. Alongside other measures like legislation, enforcement, and education, these campaigns are essential tools for promoting long-term behavioural change. The guide provides practical advice on how to design, implement, and evaluate such campaigns to enhance road safety efforts. It also includes examples of campaigns from cities across Europe, illustrating how these intiaitives have contributed to safer road use and reduced accidents.

These initiatives aim to inform, persuade, and encourage individuals to adopt safer behaviours on the road. Research suggests that well-designed campaigns can lead to a 5-10 % reduction in road crashes, reinforcing their importance in broader road safety strategies.

Objectives of road safety campaigns

Road safety awareness campaigns typically focus on one or more of the following objectives: 

• Informing the public about new or revised road laws to ensure compliance and understanding (e.g., France’s 2018 campaign on reducing the speed limit to 80 km/h aimed to educate drivers on its impact on road safety).
• Raising awareness about potential risks and encouraging preventive behaviours (e.g., Ireland’s 2016 tyre safety campaign).
• Addressing underlying factors that influence driving behaviour, particularly social norms, such as attitudes toward drink driving (e.g., Belgium’s annual Bob campaign, running since 1996).
• Encouraging safer driving practices and reducing risky behaviours, such as speeding, to promote responsible road use (e.g., the UK’s THINK! speeding campaign).
• Reducing the frequency and severity of road crashes by fostering long-term changes in attitudes and behaviours (e.g., Australia’s Youthsafe programme, established in 1982). 

Designing an effective campaign

For an awareness campaign to achieve its objectives, it must not only reach road users but also ensure its message is understood, considered, an acted upon. This makes the campaign's design and implementation critical to its success. Research highlights six key steps to developing a successful campaign:

1. Defining the problem and target group: Defining the issue the campaign seeks to address and understanding the affected demographic through qualitative and quantitative data analysis.
2. Designing the campaign: This includes developing a clear strategy to influence the target audience effectively, crafting the content and tone of voice (what will be communicated, by whom, and how), and creating key messages. Additionally, a media plan is prepared to identify the most suitable channels for reaching the audience. This step also defines the campaign's goals, logistics (when, where, and how it will run). For more tips on designing effective campaigns, click here and view the accompanying infographic. 
3. Pre-testing the campaign: Before the campaign is officially launched, it is vital to conduct pre-testing. This step ensures the messages and methods resonate with the target audience and allows for adjustments to improve effectiveness. 
4. Implementing the campaign: Executing the planned strategy while ensuring engagement and visibility.
5. Evaluation after completion: Once the campaign concludes, evaluating its process, impact, and financial performance is essential. This step assesses whether the campaign achieved its objectives (effectiveness) and adhered to the budget (efficiency). It also allows for refining the campaign strategy, execution, and other elements for future efforts. 
6. Creating a final report: A comprehensive final report should be produced, detailing the campaign's goals, activities, results, and insights. This ensures a clear understanding of the campaign's overall success and learnings. 

Assessing effectiveness of road safety campaigns

Assessing the effectiveness of road safety campaigns and their contribution to improving road safety is a complex task. This is due to several factors, including the wide variety of campaigns conducted, the limited availability of evaluation reports, and the challenge of isolating the impact of campaigns from other initiatives, such as increased enforcement measures or stricter controls.

In addition to evaluating the impact of these campaigns, research highlights several factors that contribute to their success. Key elements include:

• Evidence-based messaging: Campaigns grounded in relevant scientific research and theoretical models.
• Contextual relevance: Tailoring messages to the specific social, cultural, and behavioural context.
• Target audience identification: Ensuring the campaign is directed at the appropriate demographic(s).
• Clear, credible, and persuasive messaging: Communicating a compelling message that resonates with the audience.

During implementation, combining campaigns with additional activities such as education, legislation, or enforcement significantly enhances their effectiveness. Campaigns achieve greater behavioural impact when integrated into broader strategies, such as increased police checks or comprehensive road safety programmes, compared to standalone efforts.

If you would like to find out more information on running effective awareness campaigns, the European Road Safety Charter hosted a webinar in December 2024 on "Transforming Attitudes: Effective Campaign Strategies for Road Safety Equipment". The webinar covered the latest insights into protective equipment, and innovative road safety campaigns across Europe. You can watch the full recording here. 

Author: Melina Zarouka 

Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and do not reflect those of the European Commission.