The Scottish Government

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Scottish Government Road Safety Research Publications

The Scottish Government publishes a number of reports and research summaries based on road safety research. Research Findings, Full Reports and further information about social research in the Scottish Government may be viewed on the Internet at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/socialresearch

Some reports may be purchased from Blackwell's Bookshop - contact details appear towards the foot of the page on Scottish Government Transport Statistics publications.

For those projects highlighted with an asterix (*), copies of the Research Findings (a short 4-page paper which sets out the main findings) can be obtained, free on request, from:

Email: socialresearch@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

The Road Safety reports described below were published between October 2006 and September 2007:

Evaluation of Foolsspeed Campaign: Final Phase (web only publication)
March 2007

The Scottish Government and Road Safety Scotland commissioned the Institute for Social Marketing at the University of Stirling and The Open University to undertake a qualitative evaluation of reactions to the Foolsspeed public road safety campaign (1999-2005), particularly the 'Doppelganger' television advertisement (2004-2005). Foolsspeed aimed to reduce inappropriate and excessive speed in an urban setting through a series of four television advertisements designed to address psychological determinants of speeding according to the Theory of Planned Behaviour. The final advert, 'Doppelganger', depicted the journey of a man and his double, one who drives calmly and the other who takes unnecessary risks. The research consisted of ten focus groups with drivers aged 17-54 who were asked about their views and perceptions of the campaign. Respondents recognised the focus on the benefits of safe driving, but felt that these were not communicated as strongly as they could have been. The findings suggest there is merit in future road safety campaigns in focusing on everyday driving behaviours in recognisable Scottish locations; but that it is important for advertisements to contain an element of drama and emotional engagement. There also seems to be merit in the use of psychological theory in road safety advertising campaigns.

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