TV Road Safety Ads Get Survey Boost

Television advertising received a fillip this week with news that local people who were surveyed felt the most effective medium for creating an awareness of road safety is TV advertising (78%).

While this is the same proportion of respondents who stated this in 2007, it is still good news for the advertising sector.

The Northern Ireland Road Safety Monitor 2010 is the latest in a research series into road safety issues in Northern Ireland and has just been published.

The results outline the behaviour, attitudes and awareness of the general public to road safety issues in Northern Ireland. The report also evaluates the effectiveness of road safety advertising campaigns.

As well as the news on the most effective medium, over four fifths (81%) of those who were aware of the radio campaigns said that the campaigns had a positive influence on their behaviour in relation to road safety. This is similar to the percentage that said this in 2007 (82%).

Almost a quarter of motorists interviewed who drink alcohol (24%) said they would normally drive after one drink. A similar proportion said this in 2007 (25%).

Over two fifths of motorists interviewed who drink alcohol (43%) said that they could not drink any alcohol without it affecting their driving.

Almost three fifths (59%) of respondents said they think the penalties for drinking and driving are not harsh enough. In 2007, a similar proportion agreed with this (60%).

The majority of respondents (85%) stated that the police should be able to stop people at random and breathalyse them. This is similar to the proportion of respondents who stated this in 2007 (87%).

Almost three fifths of respondents (59%) stated that vehicle seizure should be applied where the driver has been caught for a second time or more.

Almost three quarters of respondents (74%) correctly identified that the 'Hit Home' advertising campaign related to drinking and driving.

This is greater than the proportion of respondents who correctly identified the 'Just One' drinking and driving campaign in 2007 (68%).

Also, 17% of motorists interviewed said they normally exceed the speed limit on roads in a built up area, 20% on roads outside a built up area, 32% on dual carriageways and 47% on motorways.

This represents an increase, from 2007, in the proportion of those who said they would normally exceed the speed limit on roads outside a built up area (16% in 2007) and on motorways (42% in 2007).

Of those motorists who stated they normally exceed the speed limit in built up areas, 70% said they exceeded it by five miles per hour or more.

Motorists interviewed from BMUA (Belfast Metropolitan Urban Area) (25%) were more likely to say they normally exceed the speed limit on roads outside a built up area, than motorists interviewed from other urban (15%) or rural (18%) areas.

Almost three fifths of motorists interviewed (58%) said they think it is likely that the police would stop them if they were exceeding the speed limit. This is the same percentage as that found in 2007.

Four fifths (80%) of respondents stated they feel it is fair that the police should issue speeding tickets with penalty points for drivers who exceed the speed limit by up to 10mph in a built up area.

On foot, 93% of respondents stated that they would normally use a pedestrian crossing when crossing the road if they were at or near one. This is similar to 2007 when 92% stated this and 31% of respondents who drink said they would walk across a public road after having five or more alcoholic drinks. In 2007 a similar proportion also said this (30%).

Around two thirds (66%) of respondents incorrectly think that the green man flashing signal means cross with care at a pedestrian crossing. It actually means do not start to cross. This is similar to 2007 when 68% of respondents thought this.

(BMcC/GK)