Can behavioral interventions be too salient? Evidence from traffic safety messages

Area of Science:

• Behavioral economics
• Traffic safety research
• Public health interventions

Background:

• Behavioral interventions aim to capture attention.
• The potential costs of high salience in interventions are often overlooked.
• Safety campaigns utilizing public displays are common.

Purpose of the Study:

• To estimate the unintended costs of a specific behavioral intervention.
• To investigate the impact of displaying traffic fatality counts on driving behavior.
• To determine if negatively framed interventions can backfire.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of statewide crash data during and outside of campaign weeks.
• Utilizing dynamic message signs to display traffic fatality counts.
• Examining short-term effects of the intervention.

Main Results:

• Traffic crashes significantly increased statewide during campaign weeks when fatality counts were displayed.
• The observed increase in crashes was not consistent with intended safety benefits.
• These negative effects were temporary and did not persist after campaign weeks concluded.

Conclusions:

• Highly salient behavioral interventions, especially negatively framed ones, can be counterproductive.
• Overly attention-grabbing interventions may distract from crucial considerations, leading to unintended negative outcomes.
• The costs associated with backfiring interventions, such as increased crashes, can be substantial.