National policy makers are trying to obtain wide public support, or the support of specific target groups, for the development or implementation of road safety policy or measures. This report deals with the theme of 'public support for road safety and road safety measures' in greater depth. It discusses the following questions: (1) What is meant by public support for policies; (2) How is public support for road safety measured; (3) What do policy makers and experts think about the role of public support in policy; and (4) which research opportunities are there to enlarge the knowledge of public support? Public support for road safety policy can be described as a positive valuation of road safety and of measures that evidently increase road safety. In order to determine the support for a particular measure, or how the support is developing, measuring tools are necessary. The measuring tool to be chosen is, among other things, dependent on the familiarity of the public with the measure. Based on the literature studied, and the input from experts (via a workshop), four potential dilemma situations are distinguished: (i) social dilemma (collective vested interest versus individual preference); (ii) legitimacy dilemma (justice of expected pros and cons); (iii) credibility dilemma (problems with public image creation); and (iv) implementation dilemma (problems with the distribution of pros and cons in the course of time).
Abstract