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 norm¹, the
‘in-group’² or the majority³.
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!
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
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.
4
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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