The Road Safety Trust

To ensure we captured both the breadth and depth of UK road safety changemakers’ perceptions, experiences, and priorities, we carefully designed a rigorous mixed-methods research study. 

This mixed methods approach combined the scale and structure of quantitative data with the nuance and richness of qualitative insights, enabling us to build a well-rounded, evidence-based understanding of the challenges, opportunities, and strategic needs across the sector.

For the quantitative stage, we designed a 15-minute accessible and psychometrically robust online survey. The survey included predominantly closed questions, with a small selection of open-ended questions. To enable effective segmentation of the findings, we included demographic and changemaker characteristic questions. We recruited over 200 participants to the survey, with representation from road safety changemakers across the UK, across health, education, policing, Government, and the private and third sectors. 

For the qualitative stage, we developed a robust, semi-structured topic guide designed to probe more deeply into the themes emerging from the quantitative phase. This guide allowed for consistency across interviews while also providing the flexibility to explore individual experiences and perspectives in greater depth. We conducted one-to-one interviews with 12 road safety changemakers from a diverse range of sectors, capturing rich, contextual insights that added nuance and depth to the overall findings.

Key outputs of this project included:

• In-depth behavioural diagnoses to uncover underlying barriers and enablers to change
• Distinct behavioural profiles to segment and understand key changemaker audiences
• Evidence-based, strategic recommendations to inform future strategy
• A comprehensive research report synthesising qualitative and quantitative insights
• A creative, accessible snapshot designed to communicate findings at a glance

The research ensured that the voices and expertise of 229 diverse UK road safety changemakers were heard, providing a comprehensive view of the road safety sector’s critical challenges and opportunities. 

It uncovered nuanced behavioural insights, revealing underlying barriers and untapped enablers for change, and successfully identified distinct behavioural profiles to segment key changemaker audiences. 

This rigorous mixed-methods approach delivered actionable insights that directly informed the development of evidence-based, strategic recommendations, which now serve as a crucial roadmap for the Trust’s future decisions and initiatives. The output, including a comprehensive report and an accessible snapshot, was praised for its depth, rigour, and practical relevance, and is recognised as a vital resource for advancing UK road safety strategy.