PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION

As a result of Federal legislation to lift speed limit restrictions from states, the posted speed limits on many of California's freeways and highways began changing on December 15, 1995. Additional changes were expected through the middle of 1996 following the completion of safety, engineering and traffic assessments and studies. The result would be changing and varied highway and freeway speeds, presenting a number of traffic safety challenges for motorists. California motorists needed to be educated about the changing speed limits and that, regardless of the posted speed limits, the prima facie (i.e., appropriate for existing road conditions) speed must always take precedence.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The goal was to provide an education and information campaign to:

• Inform California motorists about the state's changing speed limits
• Motivate motorists to adopt safe driving practices if higher speeds are evident.

The key messages were:

• Watch for and obey the posted speed limits
• Other motorists may be driving faster than before
• Higher speeds affect other issues (e.g., braking distance increases, less time to react in emergencies)
• Drive the safe speed for existing road conditions (the maximum speed may not be the safest speed due to weather, visibility, traffic volume, road conditions).

STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES

Message strategies were developed:

• Remember, drive safe, drive smart and obey the speed limits signs
• The safe and correct speed is not always the legal posted limit, but is the speed appropriate for existing road conditions
• Drivers need to remain alert and focus on the task of driving.

English and Spanish PSAs were produced with these messages and delivered to 551 media outlets on December 12, 1995, three days before the new speeds went into effect. The PSAs were marketed to selected feature film theater chains throughout the state, to run as part of the theater's trailer collage of coming attractions.

RESULTS

By doing a wide distribution of the PSA, the Office of Traffic Safety was able to maximize its investment and broaden the audience. The final broadcast television, cable and radio usage report showed the following:

• Total TV and radio broadcast: 7,047
• Estimated television audience: 30.1 million
• Equivalent advertising value: $305,310.