Determining the Relative Impact of PSAs and Brochures upon General Public Drivers Interfacing With Emergency Service Vehicles

• NCJ Number: 238779
• Author(s): William F. Jenaway Ph.D.; Steven Austin; William Troup; Darren Basch
• Date Published: February 2012
• Length: 48 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2009-DE-R103
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)

Annotation

This project examines the relative impact of public service announcements (PSAs) and brochures upon general public drivers interfacing with emergency service vehicles.

Abstract

Results indicate that the viewing or reading of information suggesting a driver move over and slow down when encountering emergency vehicle on the highway will result in more responsive actions by the vehicle operator. This report supports four conclusions: "Slow Down and Move Over" is an effective and easy to remember safety phrase that should be included in all relevant PSAs; the use of PSAs in communicating slow down and move over practices when encountering emergency responders and vehicles on the highway should be continued and expanded; the results of accidents and PSA impacts should be monitored to determine programmatic/message modifications in the future; and research into the impact of distractions on driving behaviors when interfacing with emergency responders and their vehicles provides valuable data for driver safety. Data collected were a literature review and related field testing findings using driving simulation. References and appendixes