A new road safety campaign in the United States is leaning into research that shows most drivers think other road users are the problem.
Transurban, which operates toll roads in Australia, Canada and the United States, surveyed drivers in the Washington and found most people thought they were safe, but questioned the road-safety credentials of everyone else on the road.
“Drivers overwhelmingly feel they are safe on the road while texting and speeding, while simultaneously believing others on the road cannot safely drive while taking these same risks,” the company said in a statement.
It said that mindset was the driving force behind a new road safety campaign targeting motorists in Virginia, in the United States.
Transurban said the campaign used dynamic messaging signs (DMS) along its routes to display road safety messages that, instead of the stating the standard “Slow Down” or “No Phones”, showed messages such as “Stay Alert for Speeders” and “Expect Bad Drivers, Maintain Space”.
It said the approach encouraged motorists to factor other drivers’ behaviour into their own driving decisions and had already led to safer speeds and driving decisions.
“For example, signage saying “Watch Out For Speeder” helped reduced mean speeds by up to 1.4m/ph.
“It doesn’t sound much, but this equates to up to a 14 percent reduction in fatalities due to road crashes.”
