Currently, the evaluation of road safety advertising is mainly based on media response analyses and surveys of drivers' attitudes. The perception of traffic relevant messages on billboards and the resulting behavioral effects in specific driving situations have hardly been considered so far. Based on a comprehensive literature review on the topic, a method to assess the impact of billboards along the motorway on drivers' perception and behavior was developed in a driving simulator. In a pilot study (N = 27 drivers) the impact of two billboards showing traffic relevant messages (advertising against speeding and against distracted driving) were analyzed. As dependant measures, engagement in a secondary task, gaze direction, ability to recall details of the campaign, as well as measures of longitudinal control of the vehicle were used. A tendency for more and longer gazes towards the billboard with the advertisement against speeding were observed compared to the control group (billboard with a neutral message). No differences were found between these groups with regard to the ability to recall details of the messages. The billboard campaign against speeding did not cause drivers to reduce speed, but having passed the billboard on distracted driving, drivers diminished their engagement in a secondary task. Overall, driving simulation proved to be a useful tool to complement established methods for evaluating road safety billboards along motorways. Benefits arise especially from the possibility to assess perceptional and behavioral effects in specific driving situations. Moreover, it opens up the possibility of already testing campaigns during the conception stage. (Author/publisher)
Abstract