Every year, around 20,000 people lose their lives on roads in the European Union, and at least 100,000 are seriously injured. To continue improving road safety, we need to look beyond technology and focus on the shared beliefs, values, norms, and behaviours that shape the transport system. This is often referred to as Traffic Safety Culture (TSC).
Despite increasing attention in research and policy, no commonly accepted definition of TSC currently exists. Different studies and organisations have conceptualised TSC in different ways, making it difficult to compare findings, measure progress, and apply the concept consistently in practice.
One of the first actions of the TRUST project was to address this gap by developing a shared definition that can support both research and policymaking.
To achieve this, we combined several complementary approaches. Firstly, we reviewed the scientific literature to see how TSC has been defined and studied so far. Secondly, we engaged international experts in a structured consensus-building process (Delphi study) to identify TSC’s key components. Finally, we used group discussions to refine and test these ideas in practical, real-world contexts.
Across all stages of the research, strong agreement emerged, resulting in the following definition:
“Traffic Safety Culture encompasses shared values, beliefs, attitudes, norms, and patterns of behaviour that shape how traffic safety is understood and enacted within a meaningfully defined group of actors in the transport system. These groups can include road users, organisations, authorities, or other actors within the transport system.”
This definition provides a clear and consistent foundation for future research and policy development.
TSC still varies according to societal and organisational contexts. Workplace driving, everyday road use, and public sector responsibilities may each involve distinct norms, expectations and safety challenges, even when they share common underlying cultural elements. But, by moving from fragmented interpretations to a shared understanding, this common definition supports a more coordinated approach to improving road safety across Europe.
A copy of TRUST deliverable 2.1 in which the TSC definition is described in more detail will be available on our website soon.
By Uta Meesmann and Mathias De Roeck
