To ask the Minister for Infrastructure to detail any assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of recent road safety advertising campaigns, including any evidence of changes in driver behaviour.

It is globally recognised that three elements working together are required to improve road safety and help reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured in road traffic collisions. These elements which are commonly referred to as the three E’s are Engineering, Education, and Enforcement; my Department’s road safety campaigns contribute to the education element of this fundamental framework

Statistics tell us that over 95% of collisions are caused by human error, this statement refers to the most recent five-year period (2020-2024). This being the case, my Department’s road safety campaigns play a significant role in influencing road user behaviour contributing to a reduction of death and serious injuries on roads here.

In the past 3 years, the Department has produced and launched 4 major advertising campaigns that have either been evaluated with independent tracking research or have been scheduled for this evaluation:

Careless Driving – “Driver or Passenger” – 85% of those surveyed agreed the advertising made them reconsider the consequences of careless driving, while 89% said it made them think about their own behaviour. 71% of people who were aware of the campaign reported having taken action, e.g. driving more attentively.

Drug Driving – 76% of people aware who were aware of the campaign reported the campaign challenged their thinking on driving under the influence of drugs. The campaign also significantly increased awareness of Drug driving as a problem in the north and of police testing drivers for drugs.

Tracking research is scheduled for the new “Control or Speed” and “Priorities List” campaigns.