Different ways… same message? Road safety-targeted communication strategies in Spain over 62 years (1960-2021)

Mireia Faus; Cesáreo Fernández; Francisco Alonso; Sergio A Useche

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e18775

Different ways… same message? Road safety-targeted communication strategies in Spain over 62 years (1960-2021)

Heliyon. 2023 Aug 1;9(8):e18775. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e18775. eCollection 2023 Aug.

Authors

Mireia Faus^{1

2}, Cesáreo Fernández^{3

4}, Francisco Alonso^{1

2}, Sergio A Useche^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ INTRAS (Research Institute on Traffic and Road Safety), University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain.
² Faculty of Psychology, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain.
³ Department of Communication Sciences, University Jaume I. Castellón, Spain.
⁴ ITACA (Research in Technologies Applied to Audiovisual Communication) Research Group, Spain.

Abstract

Among the most generalised preventive measures against traffic crashes, advertisements and broadcast campaigns in the media have stood out over the last six decades. The core aim of this paper is to describe the evolution of the subject matter and typology of road safety-related advertisements used in Spain during 62 years (1960-2021). Thus, this paper assesses their role in reducing road fatalities, while keeping in mind the potential effect of the many other road safety-related preventive measures carried out in the country during this period. The results of this study allow us to target five key time periods, all of them with clear particular communication strategies to be differentiated, using specific types of advertisements and informative, persuasive, emotional, and humorous techniques (among others) to reach the audience. Additionally, some key practical implications and guidelines are provided.

Keywords: Advertising; Road users; Spain; Traffic safety; communication and media.