Case Study:
Milton Keynes Supermarket Stand
Overview of the approach
As part of a range of interventions targeted at preventing mobile phone use by drivers, and the Fatal 4 generally,
council employees and police officers in Milton Keynes have developed a stand containing various forms of
educational material which they take out to areas with large public footfall, such as supermarkets and shopping
centres. A table and display boards are used to attract the attention of members of the public. These include
images and short descriptions of collisions that have resulted from mobile phone use by drivers as well as more
descriptive information of the legal penalties associated with the offence. Once attention has been attracted, those
individuals are then engaged with on a one-to-one or small group basis.
Individuals are encouraged to engage with the stand and are given a range of free materials and products to take
away, including an information sheet explaining the law, car stickers, air fresheners and a signal blocking pouch.
Many of those who stop to chat are law-abiding individuals who do indeed recognise the risks of using a mobile
phone while driving. A sign is used to indicate that ‘freebies’ are available in an attempt to draw the attention of a
wider range of individuals.
This educational approach is combined with enforcement activity that takes place nearby. The educational stand
provides individuals with the information required to recognise the consequences of using a mobile phone while
driving, whilst the enforcement activity highlights that the action is taken seriously by the police and reinforces the
instrumental costs associated with mobile phone use by drivers.
Hampshire and Thames Valley Police are involved in a range of activities targeting mobile phone use,
including roadside enforcement, case studies and use of social media. Their recent campaign videos
can be seen on the force YouTube channels:
www.youtube.com/user/OfficialHantsPolice or www.youtube.com/user/thamesvalleypoliceuk
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