Getting Road Safety Messages Across: On Whom to Focus in Texting and Driving Prevention PSAs?

• In Event: ICA Interactive paper/Poster Session I
  In Interactive Paper Session: Health Communication Interactive Poster Session

Abstract

Smartphone-use while driving is a serious and relevant public health issue. While most unhealthy behaviors have negative effects only on the actor’s health, risky driving behaviors also put uninvolved people at risk. Popular framing strategies commonly either vary the form in which (un)healthy outcomes are presented or depict different types of outcomes resulting. In the case of smartphone use while driving, however, another framing strategy might be effective: varying the person who suffers from the negative consequences of an accident. Based on evidence from framing theory and several health behavior models, we presume that (1) person framing and (2) severity of the health risk in texting and driving prevention PSAs influence behavioral intentions. We expect (3) health-related attitudes and (4) emotions to function as mediators of these relationships. To test these assumptions, we conducted a 3 x 2 between groups online experiment. Preliminary results show mainly indirect effects.

Authors

• Janine Nadine Blessing, Augsburg University

• Anna Wagner, Augsburg U

• Freya Sukalla, Leipzig University