Safe behaviour is predicated on the individual's capability to perform appropriate acts when required. That capability involves both the requisite psychomotor skills and the knowledge of what acts are appropriate in the situation faced by the individual. Knowledge of the appropriate acts may be obtained in various ways. Among them are signs, verbal commands, instruction, and written materials. The present study examines the influence of one form of written materials associated with safe driving, that is, the owner's manual. Specifically, two surveys were performed to evaluate what use is made of the safety information in the manual and the awareness of the presence of safety information in the manual. The results suggested that owner's manuals are infrequently read, except for some specific sorts of information. Of all respondents in Experiment 1, only two indicated looking for safety information in the manual. Results of Experiment 2 suggested that respondents were aware of the possibility that safety information was in the manual, but there was little indication that it was used for that purpose. A possible approach to reaching more of the target population might be to produce a separate safety manual for owners and drivers.
Abstract