For some groups , having a pledge with a purpose - something to do moving forward - will be more effective . These ‘ coping strategies ’ 1 are thought to be particularly effective for young males who appreciate positive road safety messages 2 and don ’ t want to be told that they should simply refrain from everything .
A social link to pledging
We know that pledges work better when they are made socially - when we promise to others rather than just to ourselves . If others know what we are trying to do they can support us , and even be enlisted to help monitor our success or failure . As well as pledging to adopt or avoid a particular behaviour , a pledge should therefore contain an external reference point - a specific individual or group to whom the commitment is made . For example , a driver may pledge to their best friend , parent , girlfriend or husband . Pledging to a particular individual further personalises the pledge and creates a personal link between the action in question and an individual that matters . This gives meaning to their behaviour and encourages them to self-reflect 3 upon who they would want to keep safe , and why they would want to stay safe . you are considering introducing a pledge as part of an approach , think about ways it can easily be shared via social media . Where possible some form of follow-up should be built-in to the process so that individuals can be reminded of the pledges they have made and , if they are struggling with changing their behaviour , offered extra motivation and suggestions to help them get back on track .
Some individuals will struggle to believe that their behaviour is problematic , so a pledge may not be useful on its own . For these people we might need to tackle issues of self optimism 5 , over-exaggeration of driving skill 5 and failure to recognise risks 6 first .
Pledges may be shared widely , to increase the sense of commitment for the pledging individual , and also to communicate a message about social norms . Social media is a simple way to share our intentions with followers , increases the audience and therefore the number of behavioural ‘ observers ’ and ‘ monitors ’ 4 . If
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1
Lewis , I ., Watson , B . and White , K . M ., 2008 . An examination of message-relevant affect in road safety messages : Should road safety advertisements aim to make us feel good or bad ?. Transportation research part F : traffic psychology and behaviour , 11 ( 6 ), pp . 403-417 .
2
Wundersitz , L . N ., Hutchinson , T . P . and Woolley , J . E ., 2010 . Best practice in road safety mass media campaigns : A literature review . Social psychology , 5 , pp . 119-186 .
3
TIRF . ( 2015 ). Road safety campaigns : What the research tells us . Available from : http :// tirf . ca / wp-content / uploads / 2017 / 01 / 2015 _ RoadSafetyCampaigns _ Report _ 2 . pdf
4
Fylan , F . ( 2017 ). Using Behaviour Change Techniques : Guidance for the road safety community . RAC Foundation . Available from : https :// www . racfoundation . org / wp-content / uploads / 2017 / 11 / Using _ behaviour _ change _ techniques _ Guidance _ for _ the _ road _ safety _ community . pdf
5
Harré , N ., Foster , S . and O ’ neill , M ., 2005 . Self ‐enhancement, crash ‐risk optimism and the impact of safety advertisements on young drivers . British journal of psychology , 96 ( 2 ), pp . 215-230 .
6
Machin , M . A . and Sankey , K . S ., 2008 . Relationships between young drivers ’ personality characteristics , risk perceptions , and driving behaviour . Accident analysis & prevention , 40 ( 2 ), pp . 541-547 .