Since the end of 1987, a television-series has been promoting traffic safety in the Netherlands. This series named `The Oudenrijn-family' after a well-known traffic junction, is a comedy that treats important road safety themes in a casual and playful way. The members of the TV family, and their neighbours and friends, represent various road user target groups, such as children, adolescents and elderly people. Some of the characters have a special relationship with road safety: the father and mother free-lance for VVN, the Dutch organisation for the production and distribution of road safety information. This manner of presentation is supposed to increase individual as well as institutional concern regarding traffic well as institutional concern regarding traffic safty. Moreover, the series is intended to provide a rationale for behavioral traffic safety measures, such as information, education and enforcement. The series also intended to stimulate public interest for regional road safety events, in which the Oudenrijn family plays an important role. The SWOV evaluated the series and regional events. Viewer ratings and penetration were compared with other television programs. In 1988 and 1989 the Dutch population was surveyed concerning general aspects of accident prevention as well as specific traffic behaviors such as speeding, seat belt use and drinking and driving. In addition, an evaluation was made of personal involvement with traffic safety, and attitudes concerning the presentation of road safety public information in general and the Oudenrijn family in particular. The results of these evaluation studies will be presented. (A)
Abstract