NCJ Number
53156
Journal
Police Research Bulletin Issue: 31 Dated: (AUTUMN 1978) Pages: 16-22
Date Published
1978
Length
7 pages
Annotation
THE USE OF SIGNS DEPICTING THE TYPE OF ACCIDENT THAT OCCURRED AT A PARTICULAR SITE, ACCOMPANIED BY THE POLICE PHONE NUMBER, IS TESTED AS TO EFFECTIVENESS IN ELICITING WITNESS INFORMATION.
Abstract
THE TRADITIONAL METHOD FOR SOLICITING WITNESS INFORMATION ABOUT VEHICULAR ACCIDENTS HAS BEEN TO PLACE AT THE ACCIDENT SCENE A SIGN CONSISTING PRIMARILY OF VERBAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE ACCIDENT AND THE REQUEST FOR WITNESS HELP. BELIEVING THAT THE SIGNS ARE SELDOM NOTICED, PARTICULARLY BY PASSING MOTORISTS, NEW SIGNS WERE DESIGNED, CONSISTING OF PICTURES OF TRADITIONAL TYPES OF VEHICULAR ACCIDENTS, ACCOMPANIED BY THE POLICE PHONE NUMBER AND THE QUESTION, 'CAN YOU HELP?' TO TEST THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE NEW SIGNS, AN EXPERIMENTAL TRIAL WAS CONDUCTED IN ENGLAND AT THE GREATER MANCHESTER POLICE JURISDICTION FOR ABOUT 6 MONTHS, STARTING IN THE AUTUMN OF 1977. FOR THE FIRST PART OF THE EXPERIMENT, ONE SIDE OF THE ROAD NEAR THE ACCIDENT DISPLAYED A CONVENTIONAL SIGN AND THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROAD SHOWED THE NEW SIGN (LOGOPTIC). THE SMALL NUMBER OF RESPONSES PROHIBITED CLEAR CONCLUSIONS ABOUT THE RELATIVE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE SIGNS. A PARALLEL STUDY BY THE UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY INVESTIGATED THE EFFECT OF THE SIGNS BY CONDUCTING ROADSIDE SURVEYS TO DETERMINE IF THE SIGNS WERE NOTICED AND WHAT MEANING WAS ATTRIBUTED TO THE SIGNS. IT WAS CONCLUDED FROM THIS STUDY THAT THE NEW SIGNS WERE MORE LIKELY THAN THE OLD TO BE NOTICED BY A DRIVER; HOWEVER, THE PURPOSE OF THE SIGNS WAS NOT CLEARLY UNDERSTOOD IN MANY CASES. A VERSION OF THE TRADITIONAL SIGN APPEARED MORE EFFECTIVE FOR PEDESTRIANS IN COMMUNICATING THE RESPONSE REQUESTED. (RCB)