Developing theory based intersection safety messages

Road safety communications had been widely used in many jurisdictions to raise public awareness, modify road users' behaviors and improve safety. Despite their prevalence, relatively few studies had been conducted to examine their efficacies and few messages were designed using behavior change theories. This study attempts to design an intersection safety poster using several constructs from well-established psychology, health and communications models, including perceived severity of threat shown, response efficacy, self-efficacy, cost and benefit of preventive strategies, realism and credibility. A questionnaire survey was administered to a sample of 947 drivers in Australia and their perceptions and reactions were recorded. The authors found that the communication had a positive effect on driving intentions and the constructs were positively correlated with self-reported changes in behavioral intentions, attesting to the importance of using a well-established conceptual framework in the development and testing of road safety messages.