Applying risk communication strategies to reduce speeding-related risks

Road accidents are in the top three causes of death and hospitalisation in the EU, with the overall cost of road accidents at approximately €180 billion, twice that of the annual EU budget. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), reducing driving speed is crucial in leading to fewer and less severe road accidents. 

Gabriella Eriksson (Swedish Transport Institute and University of Stockholm) was awarded with a 2-year EU Horizon2020 Marie Curie Fellowship to understand and improve drivers’ judgments about speeding risks. This is a collaborative project, working closely with the automobile industry, policy makers and researchers world-wide, with data being collected from the UK and Sweden. Here at the University of Leeds, interdisciplinary research between Leeds University Business School and the Institute for Transport Studies will utilise the state-of-the-art Driving Simulator.  

The project aims to understand drivers’ misjudgments of speeding risks to inform dashboard and communication tools that promote safer driving. 

The three objectives of the project are: 

1. Identify the processes underlying drivers’ (mis)understandings of the risks and benefits of speeding (WP1) 
2. Examine the prevalence of misunderstandings and their relationship to inclinations to speed (WP2) 
3. Designing and testing tools to address driver misunderstandings and intentions to speed (WP3) 

EU Horison 2020 Marie Curie Fellowship

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