Traffic safety messages that change behavior: a practical guide
How to pick one action, show positive norms, avoid blame and pretest your message
Picture a billboard that reads “Texting and driving kills,” a point most drivers who pass it already accept. In a 2024 AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety survey, 94% of drivers rated texting at the wheel very or extremely dangerous [1]. Yet 28% said they had sent a text while driving in the past month [1].
People rarely lack the facts. What they lack is a clear next step, a sense that others are doing it, and a setting that makes the safe choice easy.
This guide turns health communication research into a working method for anyone who writes safety messages, ending with a message brief, a sample rewrite and a launch checklist.
Pick one behavior before you write a word
Start with a behavioral objective, meaning one specific action by one audience in one situation. “Don’t drive distracted” names a topic. “Put your phone in the glove box before you start the car” names a behavior people can picture and do.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) warns that a broad “stay alert” style message may be too general to have any effect [3]. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers a research based scoring tool called the Clear Communication Index. It asks for one main message near the top and at least one call to action [2].
Write the objective as one sentence: who does what, when or where, how much and by when. For example: “By June 30, observed belt use among pickup drivers at our 4 county sites will rise 5 points.”
Awareness alone is rarely the goal. CDC describes useful materials as ones that help people start or stop doing something, or do more or less of it [15].
Know exactly who you are talking to
Audience segmentation means splitting “the public” into groups that share a behavior, a risk and a reason, with age and gender only a starting point.
NHTSA reports that in 2024, 59% of passenger vehicle occupants ages 18 to 34 who died were completely unrestrained, as were 59% of pickup truck occupants killed [4]. More unbuckled occupants died at night (5,364) than by day (4,319) [4]. NHTSA rates communication aimed at low belt use groups, run with enforcement, at 4 of 5 stars [5].
Next comes formative research, done before you design anything. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) suggests surveys, focus groups or interviews to learn what your audience knows and believes [6]. Ask what gets in the way, what people would gain or lose, and whose opinion matters to them.
Pair those answers with local crash data, using our guide to understanding traffic safety data.
Show that safe behavior is normal
People take cues from what they think others do and approve of. But they often guess wrong in a risky direction.
In Montana, only about 20% of surveyed adults ages 21 to 34 had driven after 2 or more drinks in the past month [7]. Yet more than 90% thought their peers had [7]. A campaign told young adults the truth: most of them don’t drink and drive. In targeted counties, reported drinking and driving fell from 22.9% to 20.9%, while it rose in comparison counties [7].
In the 2024 national survey, 95% of drivers said people important to them would disapprove of texting or emailing while driving [1]. “The people who matter to you want you off your phone” is true. It also invites drivers to join the majority.
Choose messengers your audience already trusts
A credible messenger is someone the audience sees as knowing the topic and caring about them.
- Parents and caregivers. NHTSA notes that parents are often best placed to enforce teen licensing limits, though parent programs have not yet been shown to cut crashes [8]. CDC’s Parents Are the Key campaign offers a parent teen driving agreement [9].
- Clinicians. In North Carolina, the Trauma Nurses Talk Tough program, run alongside enforcement, was linked to observed belt use rising from 81% to 86% [5].
- Community members. For tribal communities, NHTSA’s guide stresses involving local people in media and events [5].
- Peers. See our guide to student led and peer to peer campaigns.
- Survivors and bereaved families. Their stories carry weight, so skip graphic detail, end with one specific action, and support speakers and listeners.
Explain risk in plain language
CDC defines plain language as communication your audience understands the first time they read or hear it [15]. Its Clear Communication Index scores materials on 20 items. A score of 90 or above passes [2]. Its advice on numbers and risk includes these points [2]:
- Use whole numbers and natural frequencies, like “1 in 8,” instead of percentages.
- Explain what each number means, and don’t make readers do math.
- Cover benefits as well as harms, and pair numbers with words or a visual.
- Say what experts know and don’t know.
For example, NHTSA reports that 30% of 2024 traffic deaths occurred in crashes involving a driver with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or higher [10]. For the public, “about 3 in 10 traffic deaths involve a drunk driver” is easier to grasp.
Fear, hope and efficacy: what the research says
The broad research. A 2015 meta analysis by Tannenbaum and colleagues pooled 248 samples with 27,372 participants [11]. On average, fear appeals moved attitudes, intentions and behaviors in the recommended direction [11]. They worked better with efficacy statements, which tell people they can act and that the action works [11]. They also worked better for one time actions than for repeated ones. The authors found no conditions in which they backfired [11].
Why efficacy matters. Kim Witte’s Extended Parallel Process Model (EPPM) offers one explanation [11]. People who feel able to act work to control the danger. Those who don’t feel able to act work to control their fear instead, often by tuning out the message [11].
Traffic safety cautions. NHTSA’s guide warns that fear based alcohol campaigns can potentially increase risky behavior. It urges extra caution with youth [7]. It calls common fear appeals about distracted driving generally ineffective, with signs of a boomerang effect among young adults [3].
Putting it together. Safe driving is a habit repeated every trip. Fear appeals had weaker effects on repeated behaviors [11]. Never use threat alone. Follow any consequence at once with an easy, specific action. For teens, try positive frames first: show the safe action, the people doing it and what they gain.
Write a call to action people can do today
Self efficacy is a person’s confidence that they can do something. You raise it by making the step small, specific and easy. The Clear Communication Index asks for specific directions on how to do the behavior [2].
Comparison compiled by Safety Behind the Wheel Foundation
| Weak call to action | Strong call to action |
|---|---|
| Don’t drink and drive | Pick your sober ride before the first drink, and save the number in your phone |
| Buckle up | Click your belt before the car moves, front seat or back, every trip |
| Put the phone down | Turn on your phone’s driving mode now, so texts wait until you park |
| Slow down near schools | Ease off to the school zone limit before you reach the flashing sign |
| Watch for pedestrians | At crosswalks, stop and let people finish crossing before you go |
Where you can, hand people the tool, such as a QR code for phone setting steps.
Adapt for culture and language, not just translation
Word for word translation can keep the words and lose the meaning.
NIH advises pretesting materials for cultural acceptability [6]. NHTSA’s guide, drawing on tribal seat belt programs, advises timing campaigns to the community’s own calendar [5]. It also recommends language and images that reflect the community, local people in media and events, and coordinators from the community [5].
Build the message with native speakers from the community, not only a translator. Check that the call to action fits who drives and who decides. NHTSA’s Click It or Ticket materials come in English and Spanish, a useful starting point [4]. Then test the adapted version with the people it’s for.
Avoid stigma and victim blaming
The Safe System approach, promoted by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), starts from two ideas: humans make mistakes, and responsibility is shared [12]. Blaming only the person hurt cuts against both.
An experiment with 999 adults shows how much wording matters [13]. Readers saw one of three news stories about one fatal pedestrian crash. One called it an “accident,” made the car the actor and mentioned the walker’s dark clothing. A second said “crash,” named the driver as the actor and dropped the clothing detail. The pedestrian’s share of blame fell from about 43% to 30% [13]. A third version added context on earlier deaths, high speeds and missing streetlights. Support for fixes like a new crosswalk and a lower speed limit rose from 85% with the first version to 93% [13].
Build these habits:
- Say “crash” rather than “accident,” and name the driver as the actor when that’s what happened.
- Skip details that suggest a victim earned the injury, such as clothing.
- Talk about behaviors, not identities, and don’t shame whole groups like teens or older drivers.
- Use person first language, such as “a person with a substance use disorder.”
- Pair walking visibility tips with messages to drivers about yielding and speed.
Pretest before you launch
Pretesting means trying a message on audience members before it goes public. CDC’s index guide says even the best guidelines can’t replace it [2]. A U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guide on risk communication explains why. Communicators often aren’t part of the audience, so their instincts can miss [14].
Methods that fit small budgets:
- Think aloud interviews. The FDA guide describes this method [14]. Ask 5 to 10 audience members to read the draft aloud and explain it in their own words.
- Quick intercepts. Show 2 versions at a school event or store. Ask which one tells people what to do.
- Focus groups. Good for exploring reactions, but one loud voice can sway the room.
- A/B tests. Run 2 versions as online ads with equal budgets. Compare clicks on the action link, not likes.
The FDA guide adds that any evaluation beats none, as long as you know its limits [14]. To track results after launch, see our guide to measuring whether a campaign worked.
Match the message to a real intervention
NHTSA’s guide notes that communication by itself rarely changes driving behavior. So messages work best as the voice of a real program [3].
The strongest evidence comes from high visibility enforcement (HVE), which pairs stepped up enforcement with heavy publicity. NHTSA gives short term HVE seat belt campaigns such as Click It or Ticket its top rating of 5 stars [5]. A CDC review of 15 studies found they raised belt use by about 16 percentage points [5]. In one 2002 evaluation, belt use rose 8.6 points in states with heavy paid advertising, 2.7 with limited ads and 0.5 with none [5].
In a 2010 to 2011 NHTSA phone enforcement demonstration, handheld phone use fell 57% in Hartford, Connecticut, and 32% in Syracuse, New York [3]. For alcohol, NHTSA cites a review linking well run mass media campaigns to a 13% drop in alcohol related crashes [7]. It warns that stand alone campaigns are unlikely to work [7].
Comparison compiled by Safety Behind the Wheel Foundation
| If the real change is… | Your message’s job is to… |
|---|---|
| An enforcement period | Make the chance of being stopped feel real, with dates |
| A new law | State the rule in one sentence and when it starts |
| A road change, like a new crosswalk | Show how to use it and why it’s there |
| A service, like free rides or car seat checks | Say where, when and how to sign up |
Never promise enforcement that isn’t happening, because an empty threat costs you trust. Our guide to national campaign materials shows how to time local work to NHTSA’s calendars.
Your one page message brief
Fill in these 9 lines before design starts:
- Problem: one sentence, with local data and year.
- Audience segment: who, and where you can reach them.
- Behavioral objective: who does what, when, how much and by when.
- Barriers and benefits: what your formative research found.
- Main message and call to action: 1 to 2 sentences.
- Messenger: who, and why this audience trusts them.
- Channels and timing: where and when people will see it.
- Real intervention: the program it supports.
- Pretest and success measure: who tests it, and what behavior you’ll count.
Frequently asked questions
Do scary or graphic traffic safety ads work?
They can shift intentions when paired with a clear, doable action [11]. NHTSA cautions that fear based campaigns can backfire with young people [3, 7].
What is a positive social norms campaign?
It corrects the false belief that most people take a risk. Montana’s campaign did this for young adults and drinking and driving [7].
Should we say “crash” or “accident”?
Use “crash.” In one experiment, a story that said “crash” and named the driver shifted blame away from a pedestrian victim [13].
How can a small group test a message with no budget?
Ask 5 to 10 people from your audience to explain the draft in their own words, then fix what confuses them. Any testing beats none [14].
Can a campaign work without police enforcement?
Messages alone rarely change driving behavior [3]. Pair yours with something real, such as a new law, a road fix or a ride program.
The bottom line
Recommendation from Safety Behind the Wheel Foundation
Ask one clear audience for one specific behavior. Make the safe choice look normal and easy. Pair any warning with a step people believe they can take. Test the message with real audience members. Link it to a real change on the road.
Related articles
- How to build a community traffic safety program that lasts
- Student led traffic safety campaigns: a peer to peer guide for schools
- National traffic safety campaign materials: how to use them locally
- Measuring traffic safety campaign results: how to know it worked
- Understanding traffic safety data: how to read crash statistics wisely
Sources and further reading
- 1Zhang X, Steinbach R. 2024 Traffic Safety Culture Index. AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. December 2025 (survey conducted August 2024). aaafoundation.org/research/2024-traffic-safety-culture-index and full report PDF
- 2Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC Clear Communication Index web page (updated May 29, 2025) and Clear Communication Index User Guide (August 2019). cdc.gov/ccindex and user guide PDF
- 3National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Countermeasures That Work, Distracted Driving chapter: “Communications and Outreach on Distracted Driving” and “High-Visibility Cell Phone Enforcement.” Online edition, accessed October 2026. nhtsa.gov/…/communications-outreach and nhtsa.gov/…/high-visibility-cell
- 4National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Traffic Safety Marketing. Seat Belt Safety and Click It or Ticket campaign pages (2024 data). Accessed October 2026. trafficsafetymarketing.gov/…/seat-belt-safety and trafficsafetymarketing.gov/…/click-it-or-ticket
- 5National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Countermeasures That Work, Seat Belts and Child Restraints chapter: “Short-Term, High-Visibility Seat Belt Law Enforcement” and “Communication Strategies for Low-Belt-Use Groups.” Online edition, accessed October 2026. nhtsa.gov/…/enforcement/short and nhtsa.gov/…/communication
- 6National Institutes of Health (NIH), Office of Communications and Public Liaison. Clear & Simple. Updated February 21, 2025. nih.gov/…/clear-simple
- 7National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Countermeasures That Work, Alcohol-Impaired Driving chapter: “Mass Media Campaigns.” Online edition, accessed October 2026. nhtsa.gov/…/other-strategies-10
- 8National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Countermeasures That Work, Young Drivers chapter: “Programs to Assist Parents/Guardians of Young Drivers.” Online edition, accessed October 2026. nhtsa.gov/…/other-strategies-behavior-change-0
- 9Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Parents Are the Key to Safe Teen Drivers. Updated August 4, 2025. cdc.gov/teen-drivers/parents-are-the-key
- 10National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Overview of Motor Vehicle Traffic Crashes in 2024. DOT HS 813 791. April 2026. crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/…/813791
- 11Tannenbaum MB, Hepler J, Zimmerman RS, et al. Appealing to fear: A meta-analysis of fear appeal effectiveness and theories. Psychological Bulletin. 2015;141(6):1178 to 1204. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5789790
- 12Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Zero Deaths and Safe System. Updated August 6, 2025. highways.dot.gov/safety/zero-deaths
- 13Goddard T, Ralph K, Thigpen CG, Iacobucci E. Does news coverage of traffic crashes affect perceived blame and preferred solutions? Evidence from an experiment. Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives. 2019;3:100073. sciencedirect.com/…/S2590198219300727
- 14Fischhoff B, Brewer NT, Downs JS, eds. Communicating Risks and Benefits: An Evidence-Based User’s Guide (see Chapter 3, Evaluation). U.S. Food and Drug Administration. August 2011. fda.gov/…/communicating-risks-and-benefits
- 15Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Health Literacy. Develop & Test Materials (October 16, 2024) and Plain Language Materials & Resources (July 21, 2025). cdc.gov/…/develop-test-materials and cdc.gov/…/plain-language
This article reflects the safety priorities of behavioral science, health communication and social marketing research. It is general education, not legal, medical or professional advice for any program or person. Research, data and campaign materials change, so check current guidance from NHTSA, CDC and your state highway safety office. Reviewed October 2026.
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