An investigation into the impact of fear as a behaviour change agent in road safety commercials among young Irish road users aged 17-25.

The research presents an awareness of young people’s attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions regarding the Road Safety Authorities (RSA) use of fear appeals to promote safe driving in Ireland. Road safety leaders use negative means, such as, consequences, fear, shocking footage, startling imagery, and reactions to transmit a social health message of unacceptable driving habits. The use of fear in marketing campaigns is nothing new, the tactic of influencing people with threats of bodily harm, shame, and emotional trauma, if you participate in anti-social behaviours, is commonly deployed by advertisers. The aim of this study is to examine one particular group of road users, the 17-25-year-old group. To do this the investigation took into account multiple factors to gain an understanding of the subject, areas of research included;  Primary research methods of focus groups and interviews  Secondary literature from academics, theorist’s models and road safety authorities  Reviewing a sample of other road safety campaigns  Causes that contribute and influence road tragedies  The use of fear as a marketing tool to publicise road safety  The gender difference and reaction to fear appeals  The burn out factor of does fear work as a trigger to change driving habits?  Advanced driving Instructors (ADI) opinions on RSA adverts and imagery The research encompassed a qualitative exploration to investigate the objectives and explore the question on the impact of fear as a behaviour change agent in road safety commercials among young Irish Road users. Primary methods employed were the gathering of information in the form of a two-pronged approach, consisting of two focus groups, with males and females aged 17-25, and six semi-structure interviews with registered driving instructors known as ADIs. Three objectives were used to assist in answering the research question, these examined the benefits of fear in advertising, asked the question of is there other ways to promote safe driving, and gained the opinions of those tasked with providing training to young drivers on their viewpoint to safe driving advertisements. Road deaths are an unacceptable societal issue, one lost life on Irish roads is one too many, this study is about opinions of a target audience of young people, that statistically are the most at risk on our roads. Delving into their way of thinking and viewpoints is paramount to reducing road fatalities. Change is needed to reduce road deaths, it is of the upmost importance that a cultural shift towards safe driving occurs in the near future.