Mass media are one of the primary sources of current information in society, and therefore they play an important role in how people perceive the society. However, media’s choices of what stories to cover and how to cover them are in fact driven by economic interests. Hence, media coverage does not necessarily provide a representative reflection of reality. In case there are systematic biases in the media reporting of traffic crashes, public perceptions and attitudes towards road safety can be affected. As opposed to other fields of media reporting, little research has been done relating to the media reporting of traffic crashes. Little is known about the way media report about traffic crashes, and therefore it is unclear which impact the media reporting about traffic crashes may have on the perception and behaviour of people. The aim of this study is to gain a better insight into which traffic crashes are reported in the media, and which elements are dealt with in the coverage. (Author/publisher)
Abstract