This paper describes the evaluation of three innovative community road safety campaigns in Christchurch City in 1998. These programmes included education and enforcement strategies. They were evaluated by surveys that measured recall of the campaigns, understanding of the messages, the most effective means of communication and changes in attitude after the campaigns. A variety of promotional media was used, including regional television advertising, bill boards, backs of buses, poster paste-ups, radio and newspaper advertising. Each campaign used a different mix of these strategies. Police enforcement was coordinated with the promotional campaigns. The surveys used samples of 200-300 respondents, selected according to age and gender to provide a balanced sample. The paper finds that the campaigns resulted in changes in attitude especially in the degree to which respondents found the targeted behaviour acceptable. Respondents were, however, no more likely to feel that they might be apprehended by police after the campaigns. The surveys collected data that can be used to measure trends in attitudes in the future. Recommendations in the paper include communications strategies for different target groups, designing promotional resources to get the greatest impact, and coordinating increased enforcement with educational campaigns. It is recommended that quantitative evaluations of community projects be encouraged and funded. (A)
Abstract