This study investigates what information provinces use in decision-making about the construction of infrastructural road safety measures on provincial 80km/h roads. The following questions are answered in this study: ? Do provinces use general information about costs and effects, and specific information for each possible measure on an 80km/h road in their decision process? ? Does this use determine whether or not infrastructural measures on 80km/h roads are carried out? In interviews with policymakers and road designers in twelve provinces different ways were used to find out which information is used, and in which way according to the Knott & Wildavsky (1980) scale it is used. The questions are aimed at three stages on this scale: reading and understanding of the information ('cognition'), the effect on the picture of reality ('reference') and the effect on the policy outcome ('adoption'). The interviews consisted of three parts. First the question was asked whether, both in general and per measure, information about costs and effects is used in decision-making about road safety measures ('reference'). Secondly, the interviewees were handed a brief list of relevant publications with the question which of the information they know and which they use in their decision-making ('cognition' en 'reference'). Thirdly, the interviewees were asked which measures they do and which they do not carry out on their 80km/h roads and for what reason they do or do not. This way it was attempted to relate the used information to the policy outcome and to get an idea of possible 'adoption'.
Abstract