Processes and patterns : the utilisation of knowledge in Dutch road safety policy. Proefschrift Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen.

In more than ten years of research, the authors experience in Dutch road safety has often filled her with wonder, a wonder concerning two related issues. The first is the existence of interesting and scientifically sound research, while the outcomes thereof apparently are not used by policy-makers. Reports that delight scientists, are not always greeted with equal enthusasm by policy-makers. Sometimes, there are practical reasons for this, sometimes political reasons, and sometimes, to scientists, there is no fathomable reason at all for disregarding or rejecting scientific studies. The second issue is that policy-makers present genuine policy problems, which they encounter on a daily basis and try to formulate the knowledge demands behind these, but scientists are not always capable of meeting these knowledge needs. Again, there are practical reasons for this, and sometimes it is scientifically impossible to find a solution. Occasionally, however, there appears to be no valid reason for neglecting these policy questions, even for scientists themselves. The two groups, it seems, have different worldviews and perceive their roles differently. Policy-makers often see a world that is complex, full of exceptions and unable to be compartmentalised. They have an idealised image of science, expect knowledge to be custom made, and do not always understand technical scientific knowledge that does not match their experience. They reproach scientists for their 'ivory tower' behaviour in not giving their knowledge needs sufficient priority. Scientists, on the other hand, often generalise, schematise, and reduce complexities, in order to present averages and certainties. They see their role as objective fact-finders rather than decision makers, yet at the same time, are frustrated when policy-makers do not adopt their recommendations. Is it possible to bring these two worlds closer together, to diminish the distrust that is sometimes expressed and to show what both worlds have to offer each other? It is from these observations, certainly somewhat caricatured here, that the authors curiosity about the subject of this thesis originates.