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Opinions of Dutch motorist compared with those of the average European

SARTRE, a large-scale survey studying Social Attitudes to Road Traffic Risk in Europe, was carried out for the second time in 1996. This survey questioned a random sample of approximately one thousand people with passenger car driving licences in regard to their opinions about measures and speed limits, causes of traffic accidents, their own behaviour in traffic and that of others, their perception of danger in traffic, and their experiences involving police enforcement. The countries participating in 1996 were: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

This report (R-97-26) describes the Dutch data from the second SARTRE study. The results are also compared with those from the first survey done in 1991 in order to trace shifts in opinions, attitudes, perceptions of risk and/or self-reported behaviours. It is also described how the opinions of Dutch and foreign possessors of passenger car driving licences compare, in regard to measures, behaviours and risks.

Differences between 1996 and 1991

The opinions of Dutch motorists in regard to various subjects appear to have changed little if at all. Both in 1991 and in 1996 there was ample majority support for many of the road safety measures. The two greatest shifts in opinion are as follows:

Differences between the Dutch and the average Europeans

Compared with the 'average' European motorist, the Dutch motorist in 1996 shows:

What do European motorists think

Road safety measures

According to European drivers, the national government should first of all devote more attention to improving the standards of roads, and should in second place improve the driver training. The support of European drivers for government stimulation of more enforcement of traffic laws, more testing of vehicles and more road safety campaigns is somewhat less, but still considerable.

Drivers in countries with a high quality of road infrastructure tend not to be so strongly in favour of their government devoting more attention to the standards of roads, whereas drivers in countries with less developed or maintained road infrastructure tend to very strongly favour an active government role in this respect.

Penalties, car advertisements and public transport

A large majority of all European drivers (strongly) agrees with the need for better public transport; more than half of the drivers (strongly) agrees with the necessity of more severe traffic penalties; slightly less than half of the respondents (strongly) agrees with a restriction on the freedom of car manufacturers to use the appeal of speed in car advertisements.

Drink driving

There is large variation in the tolerance of European drivers towards the freedom in drinking and driving. In all of the survey-countries, there is only minor support for the statement that people should be free to decide for themselves how much they want to drink before driving.

The general opinion is that drivers should not be free to decide for themselves how much they want to drink before driving. But whereas seven or eight out of every ten drivers in the Northern countries like Finland, Sweden, the Netherlands and the UK strongly disagree with any freedom in drinking and driving, only three or four out of every ten drivers in the Southern countries like Greece, Italy, France, Spain and Portugal strongly disagrees.

European introduction of measures

In 1996, there is ample a major support for the European introduction of regular technical checkups for safety purposes, a penalty points system, a zero alcohol limit for new drivers, and the installation of a third braking light. An European introduction of a requirement that car manufacturers restrict the maximum speed of cars meets a mixed response among European drivers.

Surprisingly, Italian and Grecian drivers who tend to be somewhat less strict in regard to the freedom in drinking and driving, are very supportive of the introduction of a zero alcohol limit for new beginning drivers.

Telematics

Telematics is the combination of telecommunication, electronics and information sciences. The applications in this field for a better and safer traffic system seem numerous. The future role of telematics in national and international traffic partly depends on how road users think about these new technological applications. The respondents were asked how useful they would find it for themselves to have new technological appliances in their car. Their opinion was asked on the usefulness of the following devices: a route guidance system, a device that helps not to exceed the speed limit, a distance control device, an alcohol-metre and a mobile telephone.

The most appreciated telematics application in Europe is a distance control system. Two third of the European drivers would find it very or fairly useful to have a distance control system in their cars. More than half of the European drivers find it very or fairly useful to have a device that helps them to respect the speed limit or to have a device that guides them to their place of destination. The mobile telephone and the alcohol-metre come first and second as regards to judgments of non-usefulness. Slightly over 50% of the European drivers do not see any or much usefulness for themselves in having these devices in their car.

Unique positions

Some national groups of drivers have a rather unique position on certain subjects.

Belgium is unique in its low approval for the European introduction of a penalty points system. France is unique in its strong support for restricting the freedom for car manufacturers in using speed in car advertisement and in obliging car manufacturers to restrict the maximum speed of their cars.

Italian and Grecian drivers may have what we call a double norm towards drinking and driving: very strict when thinking about drinking and driving as a problem of specific target groups or as a cause of accidents, but less strict when thinking about general freedom in drinking and driving.

The Swiss are rather unique in their meagre enthusiasm for measures on an European scale and in their decreasing support for a number of road safety measures.

The Netherlands have a relatively unique position in their opinion on drinking and driving: very strict regarding the freedom in drinking and driving, but at the same time Dutch drivers do not see much easefulness in an alcohol-metre in their car.

Portugal is unique in its decreasing support for a number of measures.

Among Italian drivers there is increased support for a number of measures, but there is no increase in the strictness concerning penalties for traffic offenses and drinking and driving.

Austrians are relatively unique in their reservations towards in car devices.

SWOV Research Activities 8 - October 1997

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