Road Safety

Young Drivers

We have conducted a wide range of focus groups with pre drivers (year 10, 11 and 12), learner drivers, young drivers with driving offences, young offenders, Pass Plus participants, and young drivers across the UK. 

We have explored a number of issues with this audience including drug and drink driving, driving distractions, passengers, speeding, risk taking, and mobile phone usage and texting while driving. 

For more deatils contact Tony on 01228 612335 or tony.pearce@cnresearch.co.uk

Road Safety Experience:

We have been undertaking tracking research for the Cumbria Safety Camera Partnership over the last three years, and they have recently extended their contract to cover 2008. The survey asks a random sample of people who live in Cumbria a set of standard questions which have been agreed by the safety camera partnerships across Britain and the Government.
As well as these standard questions the partnership also asked general awareness questions about the advertising of safety on the roads and also various speed restrictions on certain roads such as motorways and built up areas.  The findings have provided very useful information to help the Partnership develop their road safety strategies for the year ahead. CN Research is using a tracking technique to establish various trends on road safety and speed on the roads in Cumbria.

In 2007 we also started tracking research on an annual contract with Lancashire Partnership for Road Safety.  This includes conducting quarterly telephone surveys across Lancashire.  Each survey includes 400 successfully completed interviews and tracks a number of key questions over the year.  Additional questions are also used in each survey to monitor campaigns and subject areas which are topical at the time.  The findings are used to benchmark driver attitudes and monitor them over time, and to inform future campaigns, PR and communications.

In addition to the work we have undertaken for Cumbria Safety Camera Partnership, we have evaluated road safety and safety camera campaigns for the Cumbria Safer Roads campaigns, and conducted a post evaluation of an advertising campaign for Hull Safety Camera Partnership.

We have also worked with an advertising agency and the Cleveland Safety Camera Partnership in the pre and post testing of road safety campaigns.  In addition, we recently pre-tested the ‘Gotcha’ DVD with both ‘young’ and ‘older’ drivers and also pre-tested an innovative interactive DVD called ‘Worst Hits’ for the Highways Agency.  Research for this included focus groups undertaken in schools and colleges.   

We also pre-tested some exciting creative concepts for a campaign for Cheshire Safety Camera Partnership.   We conducted focus groups with the target audience for the campaign and made recommendations on the most effective concept to take forward.   We also conducted a post campaign survey of the campaign for the Partnership and evaluated awareness, recall and recognition of the campaign, and attitude change. 

We recently conducted several focus groups with young drivers in Cumbria (aged between 17 and 25) who drive regularly on roads in Cumbria and admit to regularly speeding and/or have speeding fines/points on license relating to speeding, and/or have been banned from driving because of speeding.

The research was exploratory and aimed at identifying relevant insights, perceptions, triggers, and values which could be used to inform a communications strategy aimed at encouraging this group to drive safely.  Attitudes to speeding, road safety advertising recall, and advertising likes and dislikes were also explored.  The research aim was to identify the type of messages and communication methods which would be most effective in influencing the driving behaviour of this group.  

In 2007 Dumfries and Galloway Safety Camera Partnership launched its biggest road safety educational campaign to date entitled; ‘The Mourning After’. The four week campaign is being broadcast on Border television and is appearing in newspapers, billboards, motorway washrooms, roadside adverts across the region.  We were asked by Dumfries and Galloway Safety Camera Partnership to conduct a post-campaign evaluation in early 2007.  We conducted computer aided telephone interviews with a random sample of drivers from across the Dumfries and Galloway area and monitored awareness, recall and recognition of the campaign, and resulting attitude change. 

In 2008 Safer Roads for Cumbria asked CN research to provide a market research methodology to conduct qualitative research with Pass Plus participants and young drivers who had not taken the course.  This research project provided qualitative feedback on the Pass Plus course from participants who had completed the course and explores the perceptions and barriers to taking the course from young drivers who had not taken the course.  Insights were also gained into the perceptions and attitudes of young drivers to a range of issues which can be used inform future road safety campaigns with this audience. The aims of the focus groups:

• Eliciting qualitative feedback on the Pass Plus course including how participants heard about the course, the benefits of attending the course, particular likes and dislikes about the course, reasons for taking the course, and suggestions for improvement. 
• Explore attitudes to drink driving, mobile phones, seat belts, speeding, drugs, accidents and the implications of accidents.

In 2008 we also conduct a number of focus groups with young drivers on behalf of the Safer Roads Humber ABS - Arrive Be Safe – initiative.  This initiative is aimed at young people (14 - 25 year old) either about to drive, learning to drive or recently passed their test.  The research aim was to test out the design for the proposed initiative with the target audience, and to give feedback and recommendations on the name and design concept. 

The research was exploratory and was also aimed at providing insights to the lifestyle and driving behaviour of young drivers.  The findings will be used to inform future campaigns with this audience and will ensure the messages and media used will be both relevant and effective with these target audiences.

For more deatils contact Tony on 01228 612335 or tony.pearce@cnresearch.co.uk