This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
Listen
Foolsspeed campaign rated a success
30/10/2002
The Foolsspeed adversiting campaign has changed
attitudes towards speeding, according to research findings
published today.
The five-year campaign, begun in 1998, was designed to
reduce speeding on Scottish roads. Key findings of the
research were:
- elements of the advertising campaign in Scotland,
such as the logo, the name and the three 40-second
television adverts, generated high levels of
spontaneous and prompted awareness
- all three adverts were liked, easy to understand
and did not 'talk down to' the audience
- frequent speeders were more likely than infrequent
speeders to indicate that the adverts made them 'feel
bad' about how they drove
- attitudes towards speeding and related beliefs
became significantly more anti-speeding over the course
of the campaign. Attitude changes were associated with
awareness of the first of the three adverts, whereas
the second and third adverts had very limited
effect
At the Scottish Road Safety Campaign's annual seminar in
Peebles, Deputy Transport Minister Lewis Macdonald
said:
"Unlike drink driving, speeding is still regarded by
many as socially acceptable. Yet speed is a contributory
factor in one third of road accidents. This means that in
Scotland, inappropriate and excessive speed contributes to
the deaths of over 100 people each year and to the injury
of 6,500 more. These figures highlight the need to change
public attitudes to speeding.
"The research provides robust evidence that
'Foolsspeed's low key, realistic approach has been
associated with changing both attitudes and beliefs about
speeding."
Foolsspeed began in November 1998 and was run by the
SRSC. It was based on a psychological theory of behaviour
change and is designed to reduce the use of inappropriate
and excessive speed on Scotland's roads.
The campaign has primarily involved TV advertising, but
the 'Foolsspeed' logo has also been promoted with the use
of bus back, petrol pump and Motorway service station
advertising.
Paid publicity is only part of the overall strategy. The
SRSC has been successful in establishing partnerships with
private and public organisations to further the aims of the
campaign.
In the course of the research a sample of drivers was
surveyed four times over the first three years of the
campaign about awareness and recall of campaign elements,
response to advertising and whether changes in driving
occurred.