Safe driving as a social norm
Whilst we are quite used to hearing about the numbers of drivers caught during a ‘ crackdown ’, about how many hundred offences were identified in an operation or how many thousand tickets were issued by a particular speed camera , it may be that choosing these as indicators of success is both counterproductive and a missed opportunity . These measures give the impression that offending is widespread , even normal , and may encourage drivers who offend to think that they are in good company – or at least that they are not unusual or deviant . This is called a “ false consensus ” and it can be challenged to good effect . So , instead , we could take the opportunity to exploit the human instinct that makes us want to be part of the social norm ¹, the ‘ in-group ’² or the majority ³.
We know that the majority of drivers do not use their phones when driving , and that most are opposed to mobile phone use by other drivers – so promoting non-use and non-support as the norm makes more sense than simply trying to find some large numbers to illustrate the scale of the problem ( which may unintentionally reinforce the behaviour we are trying to reduce 4 ). This is a bit of a departure from familiar approaches , and will take a shift in thinking for many organisations , but there is plenty of research to suggest that we should consider , for example :
• Thanking the 548 * drivers that we didn ’ t have cause to stop today for an offence
• Noting that 83 %* of drivers are capable of understanding and respecting the law
• Drawing attention to the help and support we get
from members of the public when we need to tackle the offending behaviour of the minority .
* We ’ ve made these numbers up , but they make the general point !
The social norms approach is an element of behavioural change theory . Research tells us that individuals are more likely to adopt / change a behaviour where a ) social comparison allows individuals to recognise that it is a majority behaviour , and b ) it is socially supported .
¹ Gavac , S ., Murrar , S ., & Brauer , M . ( 2017 ). Group perception and social norms . In R . Summers ( Ed .), Social Psychology : How Other People Influence Our Thoughts and Actions . Santa Barbara , CA : ABC-CLIO , pp 333-359 .
² Terry , D . J ., Hogg , M . A . and McKimmie , B . M . ( 2000 ). Attitude‐behaviour relations : The role of in‐group norms and mode of behavioural decision‐making . British
Journal of Social Psychology , 39 ( 3 ), pp . 337-361 . ³ Levine , J . M ., and Russo , E . M . ( 1987 ). Majority and minority influence . In C . Hendrick ( ed .), Group Processes . Newbury Park , CA : Sage , pp . 13 – 54 .
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Behavioural Insights Team ( 2014 ) EAST . Four Simple Ways to Apply Behavioural Insights . Available at https :// www . behaviouralinsights . co . uk / publications / east-four-simple-ways-to-apply-behavioural-insights /
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