`Marketing' is a strategy for changing behaviour. `Social marketing' focuses on social objectives, such as health, quality of life and safety. This report argues that `social marketing' is a welcome additional method toward promoting safety. Marketing distinguishes itself from other approaches in that it is consumer oriented. Applied to road safety, the road users and organizations that may be involved in road safety policy, are the `consumers' policy refers to. A consumer-oriented approach means anticipating the needs and interests of the consumer. Hence, the development of policy measures is partly shaped by the way in which consumers experience problems and by their desire for change. This approach does not detract from the objectives of road safety. On the contrary, it offers more opportunities to realize them. Usually, marketing is seen as an instrument for making a product or service attractive or acceptable. This definition, however, does not entirely cover the whole field of application. In order to discover what an attractive product is, we have to look at the problems, background and possible solutions through the eyes of the `consumer'. Marketing then also has an important function in the preceding policy phases: exploring the problem, analyzing the background, drawing up targets and exploring the options for attaining those targets. In a broad sense, the principles of marketing can be applied to traffic safety; through education and information, legislation and measures on infrastructure and vehicles. In order to make full use of the expertise and experiences of social marketing, a step-by-step plan is recommended. Four practical examples show how the social marketing approach is found in new forms of cooperation on behalf of traffic safety. We see a wider approach to the problems. We see that social and commercial organizations are thoroughly involved in helping to develop policy, that the needs and interests of road users and organizations are brought more sharply into focus and that measures are adopted which are not only effective but which also receive much support. A more systematic application of social marketing's step-by-step plan can help to universalize these changes
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