HACIA UN MODELO EXPLICATIVO DE LA RESILIENCIA EN NIÑOS Y ADOLESCENTES.

As the evidence presented in the literature review suggests, there is a comprehensive body of research about RTA causes and types of risky driving behaviours. The multiplicity of data available in this respect is a highly positive aspect of the modern RTA-related research, especially given the problem of high rates of RTAs creating a huge death toll and disability burden on people in both developing and developed countries. The most common types of RTA causes and risky behaviours include mobile phone use when driving, not using a seat belt, speeding, driver aggression, unofficial races with other drivers, and overall disregard for road safety rules and regulations. The data analysis also showed the need to consider age and gender as essential elements contributing to risky behaviours, and to modify risky behaviours by means of targeting them with the help of well-designed road safety campaigns.

One should point out that the need for risk assessment as a preliminary step of RSC design and implementation was discussed in detail in this literature review. Extensive data provided on this topic suggests a need for undertaking risk assessment in the KSA to make Saudi RSCs more effective. Since aggression on the roads has been identified as one of the major causes of RTAs, and since young Saudi drivers are considered the highest-risk driver category in the KSA, a more detailed understanding of how this high-risk group may be targeted through RSCs may be acquired through risk assessment initiatives. Moreover, risk assessment may help to identify the subjective beliefs, judgments, perceptions and opinions of young Saudi drivers which cause them to become involved in unruly road behaviours. This may provide additional data for the design of effective Saudi RSCs with a strong appeal to the most risky drivers.

Another piece of evidence discussed in this literature review is that the road safety campaigns of developed countries (with Australia and some European countries taken as case study

examples) are well-designed, are based on accepted theories of communication and behaviour modification and are evidence-based. This contributes to their beneficial impact on drivers’ behaviour. In contrast, analysis of Saudi Arabian RSCs has shown that they still lack a systematic and data-led approach. The much lower frequency of items such as metaphors, emotional appeal, theory-based content, creative content, the targeting of specific population groups and other features shows that Saudi Arabian RSCs still lag behind Western experience in improving road safety culture.

Based on these findings and observations drawn from the literature review, the researcher has formulated the key research question that guides this research. This question must be researched for the sake of helping Saudi authorities to design more effective RSCs for the most dangerous groups of Saudi drivers. This research question considers the identification of the features of high-risk groups and an evidence-based design of proper interventions for this group, which makes it a very topical and important research field. The central research question is:

How can enhanced KSA road safety campaigns mitigate disastrous driver behaviour and prevent injuries and deaths?

The analysed research suggests that there may be two reasons for road safety campaigns’ ineffectiveness in the KSA. The first one is the poor design and implementation of road safety campaigns because of a lack of thorough, evidence-based risk assessment. The second one is the absence of receptiveness among young KSA drivers because of their unique cultural and/or psychological characteristics. The reasons may be either of the two, or a combination of both. Hence, to clarify the reasons for the ineffectiveness of KSA road safety campaigns, the researcher has formulated the following set of research objectives:

1. To analyse driving behaviours of Saudi drivers in terms of risk-taking and disregard for road traffic rules. This is expected to provide evidence to inform the development of effective road safety campaigns

2. To determine the perceived significance and effectiveness of Saudi road safety campaigns in improving driving behaviours, which in turn will show the advantages and disadvantages of current measures

3. To recommend best practice protocols from developed countries for application in road safety campaigns in the KSA and other developing countries. This will provide a fresh insight into the issue and help make KSA road safety campaigns more effective. Clearly, the present section contains a detailed literature review of prior research on road safety and causes of RTAs, as well as the basics of road safety campaigns and education design in the KSA and Australia. The epidemiology of RTAs worldwide and in the KSA is evaluated, and data on the causes and types of high-risk driving behaviours are discussed to provide a sound basis for further research. Once this research is completed and the answer to the formulated research question is obtained, Saudi researchers and road safety authorities will be able to use the evidence provided to create more individually tailored and effective road safety campaigns to target specific high-risk road behaviours typical of Saudi drivers. Moreover, the Saudi road safety campaign designers will receive practical recommendations for designing evidence-based RSCs based on best practice in Australia and other developed countries. The effectiveness of these campaigns has been proven by significant RTA rate reductions within the past decade, so the principles of their design and data they use for to tailor their messages to the highest-risk groups may become a very effective framework for Saudi campaign design.