DfT unveils plans to improve publicity support

Good at working in partnership, developing strategy and high quality resources, and communicating on a one to one basis. Not so good at sharing advance planning, distribution of resources and in some cases, getting the content of materials right.

In a nutshell, that’s how road safety professionals view the Think! publicity team, according to a study conducted by NOP on behalf of the DfT.

The findings were revealed at the Think! Road Safety Conference in London last Friday, 27 June. The DfT commissioned the study to find out what road safety managers really think of its performance – and thus be able to address areas where there are concerns.

NOPs Tessa Clatworthy told the audience that the research revealed that RSOs wanted more detail about DfT campaigns at the planning stage in order to organise their own activities in a more structured way. The problems with distribution include materials being out of stock, arriving too late and a cumbersome ordering process. With regard to content, some of the interviewees felt campaign materials were too hard hitting and only suitable for use in urban areas. There were also some criticisms of the Think! website.

In response, the Think! team unveiled a series of new initiatives to address these issues. Senior publicity manager Helen Clark introduced John Nicholls as the new distribution troubleshooter. (John’s contact details are contained in the members’ section of this website, under ‘DfT communications’). She also announced that the Think! and Child Road Safety websites are being redeveloped with a ‘more logical structure’. Both sites should be live in the autumn.

A new PR Toolkit – designed to help road safety teams around the country to develop their own local and regional campaigns in support of DfT initiatives - was also unveiled at the conference. The toolkit is available online at www.thinkroadsafety.gov.uk/toolkit, with a hard copy to follow in the coming weeks.

Simon Ettinghausen, vice chair of LARSOA, announced a partnership arrangement between his organisation and the Think! team to improve communication. As of 1 July, the DfT will be providing regular news updates to be included in the LARSOA road safety newsfeed.

Click here for full details of this initiative.

Click here for a fuller report on the Think! Road Safety Conference.