Its a well documented topic of debate in the road safety community, do blood and guts adverts in road safety public service announcements have an impact on a road user’s behaviour? According to new research, scary adverts are more memorable but less likely to change behaviour.

Chattering schoolchildren don colourful anoraks; clutching hands, they depart for a woodland picnic. Elsewhere a young man leaps into his car and speeds off to work. Moments later he careers off the road and his spinning car kills each one of the cheery youngsters. The camera lingers on their dead hands and the now-empty classroom. A grim voice explains that they represent the children killed as a result of speeding in Northern Ireland since 2000.

British road-safety adverts are more shocking than those broadcast in America, says Anne McCartt of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, an independent research group there.

Though gory, shocking public-information films linger in people’s heads, they seem not to alter behaviour much. If the consequences seem too extreme, the threat may seem too far-fetched, says Josh Bullmore, who has both made and studied such adverts. Few may believe that disaster could befall them or adjust their behaviour accordingly. Tessa Langley of the University of Nottingham has compared the impact of smoking campaigns that showed tumours erupting disgustingly out of cigarettes with more positive ones that also urged people to quit. The former proved more memorable, but the latter led more people to ring the national smoking helpline.

The budget for public-information films is shrinking. The Central Office of Information, the government’s marketing department, was closed in 2011. In 2008-09 the Department for Transport (DfT) spent almost £3m on its drink-drive advertising campaign. In 2013-14 spending fell to less than £1m. Unable to afford as many spots on television, the scaremongers hope their films will be shared on social media. And that is encouraging them to churn out the gory kind. In a recent advert from the DfT, men washing their hands in a pub toilet are startled by the face of a mannequin smashing bloodily through the mirror. The ad suggests a hashtag, #publooshocker, for online sharing. Less shocking adverts might work better, but fewer people would see them.

What do you think? Has a scary road safety advert encouraged you to change your behaviour on the road?

It seems everyone is in a hurry trying to wrap up their shopping and enjoy festive celebrations. But as you’re dashing around town, it’s important to keep road safety top of mind, as the streets are busier and drivers are distracted by their holiday to do lists, the roads often face icier conditions in the Western Hemisphere and the yule tide celebration can bring alcohol to the forefront.

Road Cover South Africa offer some tips for the festive period to ensure your festive season is enjoyed without a hitch – we have adapted their tips to a global context.

People are urged to to be more careful on the roads. Here are a few friendly tips to ensure your Festive season is a safe one:

Don’t drink and drive
Drunk driving is a major contributory factor to road crashes and road deaths in the world. If you going to a Christmas party and plan to indulge in a drink or two and get merry,  don’t drive. Stay the night or plan a safe alternative to get home such as a cab or designated driver who does not drink all night. Did you know that even in the morning after you have slept you could still be drunk and over the limit? Read more about how drinking is absorbed into the body and how the body passes the alcohol with this calculator. This

Slow down
In the rush to get to a Christmas party or do your Christmas shopping before the malls close, you may be tempted to speed. But police presence is greater on the roads both day and night throughout the season, and a speeding ticket and possible accidents are not likely on your holiday wish list. Speeding increases the likliness of a crash.

Wear your seat belt
Always buckle up. Wearing your seat belt can reduce your risk of dying in a crash by about half or more.  Also, make sure young passengers are buckled into appropriate safety seats.

Watch for emergency vehicles.
In an emergency, every second counts. When you hear a siren, be sure to pull off to the side of the road to allow the ambulance, police car or fire truck to pass. Do as the rules say in this situation and be safe.

Carry an Emergency Kit
Always be prepared.The kit should include items that would come in handy if you are stranded on the side of the road or involved in a vehicle accident.

Pull Off the Road if You Feel Tired
Please don’t try to drive when your eyes are shutting; you could kill yourself or others if you fall asleep. Have turns driving if there is another licensed person in the vehicle.  Stop regularly to take breaks.

Be extra careful!
In many parts of the world, the temperature gets colder, the nights darker and the roads icy, slippery, wet or snow covered. In these situations, only drive when absolutely necessary and if you must, be extra careful. Its a sad fact that many people drive drunk during the Christmas perid so be extra vigilant of others, of pedestrians and other road users!

Here are a few checks that you can do, to make sure your car is ready for winter:

• Lights – see and be seen. Keep your indicators and headlamps clean and working and carry spare bulbs in the glove box   
• Fuel – stay out the red! A serious traffic jam can easily finish off a near empty tank. Not nice at any time of the year, but potentially deadly in the snow.
• Windscreen wipers – make sure they’re in working order, your windows are clean and your washer bottle is filled with screen wash.
• Tyres – check the condition, pressure and depth of your tyres (including the spare). Check tyre tread depth regularly to reduce the risk of aquaplaning.  The law requires car tyres to have a minimum tread depth of 1.6mm.
• Brakes – make sure they are working well.
• Fluids – are topped up to the correct level, including oil, anti-freeze and water
• Emergency kit – put one in your car just in case you get stranded. Include things such as a phone, medication, a torch, food, extra clothes and blankets

Be prepared for bad weather:

• Plan your journey before you set off and allow yourself extra time:
• Check weather reports. Don’t make unnecessary journeys if there are severe weather warnings in place
• Tell someone where you are going and when you expect to get there
• Drive carefully and take account of the weather conditions. Leave a greater distance between you and the car in front – remember, it may take up to 10 times longer to stop in some conditions
• Winter sun – the sun can be dangerous in winter too. Be careful of dazzling rays when you are driving.

It’s the biggest film industry in the world enjoyed by the whole world, regardless of if you speak Hindi or not many people enjoy the exuberance of Bollywood. There is no doubt that Bollywood actors have a huge impact on their fans in the world’s biggest democracy; India. Global superstar actor Aamir Khan joins India’s Transport Ministry as road safety ambassador.

The actor, who was also the face of the ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’ campaign, apparently met the transport minister Nitin Gadkari for discussing about his role as the safety ambassador. Aamir Khan has always been very vocal about expressing his support for various causes and has been successful in tackling certain issues with his reality chat show.

However, now, with this new role, we may get to see this Khan extending some more support towards fans and public as he spreads awareness about the consequences of reckless driving. The abysmal state of rash driving in India kills hundreds of thousands of people a year. The actor has been brought in to help curb dangerous driving.

How other countries can learn from this iniative
There is a clear lack of leaders when it comes to promoting a safety message in most parts of the world. Road safety is often seen as an unappealing topic yet, when championed by actors such as Aamir Khan who has epitomised the coolest roles on the screen, young people, young fans and the general population are more likely to pick up the message. Why? Because popular actors like Aamir Khan claim a sense of legitimate authority by capturing the hearts and minds of their viewing audiences, they are more likely to listen to Mr Khan as a peer than say, a police officer or politician. This of course must go alongside real measure to make road infrastructure safer as well as enforcing adequate laws countrywide.

As far as awareness goes, bringing top class actors such as Khan is step in the right direction.