The Guidelines team is delighted to publish brand-new research this week as analysis of 227 police press releases from 45 forces in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, shows while 'accident' is rare in police communications around road collisions, there is still room for improvement. The national anti drink and drug driving campaign, Operation Limit, launches on 1 December, and police forces have been praised by National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) lead for roads policing, Jo Shiner, for almost entirely phasing out use of the word 'accident' in their communications.
The analysis revealed more than two thirds (70%) of police news stories still refer to vehicles as participants in crashes, while almost a quarter (22%) describe vehicles as ‘acting’ in those collisions. The more extreme examples describe vehicles ‘attempting to drive the wrong way’, ‘intentionally swerving’ or even ‘acting suspiciously’. Typical examples include ‘a collision involving a pedestrian and a Mercedes’. Previous research shows this focuses audience attention, and blame, towards those injured in a collision, by as much as 30%. Simply adding the terms ‘being driven’, or ‘driver’ to a sentence can create a more balanced public understanding of collisions.
Jo Shiner, NPCC roads policing lead, said: “I am incredibly supportive of these Road Collision Reporting Guidelines because we know how important using the right language at the right time is, not just for accurate reporting, but also of course, for victims, families, friends and communities.
“A key pillar in the NPCC Roads Policing Strategy is about ‘Changing Minds’. Language matters if we are to change minds and inform the public of the truly devastating consequences death and injury has on our roads every day. It is also important to ensure anyone with information that can help a police investigation can come forward with confidence and therefore how we describe a collision, and all of the elements involved in it, is vital to securing that public support.”
In total 49 of 227 police press releases analysed, 22%, included wider collision statistics relating to a sentencing outcome or operation. This added context helps audiences understand collisions are not isolated incidents, but part of predictable and preventable trends that contribute to road danger, such as speeding, distracted driving and drink and drug driving.
A brand-new handbook is also published today, outlining suggested improvements when communicating on road collisions. It is hoped police communications teams, and professionals writing about road collisions will be able to use this document in their work.
Dan Quin, Chief Fire Officer for Surrey Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) and National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) Lead for Road Safety and Road Rescue, said: “This important research highlights how the language we use around road collisions can have a profound impact on public perception and safety. As emergency services, our choice of language plays a vital role in shaping public understanding of road collisions and their causes. By adopting more precise terminology, we help highlight the responsibility of drivers and raise awareness about the dangers on our roads. At Surrey Fire and Rescue Service and through the NFCC, we are committed to improving safety by ensuring our communications reflect the serious and preventable nature of these incidents. Clear and accurate reporting is essential to changing mindsets and ultimately saving lives."
Laura Laker, journalist, authored the Guidelines and conducted the research, with funding from the Foundation from Integrated Transport. She said: “Media descriptions of road collisions, particularly those involving pedestrians or cyclists, tend to be unbalanced, describing a victim first, and the person behind the wheel of a vehicle later, and sometimes not at all2. Pedestrian casualties are depicted as isolated tragedies, cycling casualties as typical, while erasing the presence of drivers in collisions. News outlets commonly copy their use of language from police press releases verbatim.
“In more than a year working on this project I’ve met with blue light service staff committed to best practice, as well as services who still have further to go. Our emergency services are under a number of pressures and I’m grateful to all who engaged with me. It is encouraging to see an almost total absence of the word ‘accident’ in their communications – apart from what appear to be slips of the tongue when officers provide quotes – but this research shows there is room for improvement.
“When describing the mechanics of collisions police can dramatically improve balance by simply mentioning a driver, rather than just their vehicle, early on in the story, and the wider collision trends that impact communities. Crashes are not accidental, random or isolated – they concern people, infrastructure and systems, which can change. It’s great to see the language professionals use start to reflect this, and I hope the new reports help make even greater strides toward a shared goal of shifting thinking around road collisions.”
This research is aimed at helping police, professional bodies and their press offices implement the Guidelines (available at www.rc-rg.com/handbook), but can be used by anyone who communicates on road collisions.
Thanks go to the Foundation for Integrated Transport’s Alastair Hanton Memorial Fund for funding this stage of the Road Collision Reporting Guidelines project. Co-Pilot, Project EDWARD, Fusion Media, RoadPeace, the Road Victims Trust, PACTS, and Professor Rachel Aldred of Westminster University’s Active Travel Academy have also assisted, as have staff, former and current, from blue light services across the UK.
For more information email contact@rc-rg.com