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This article focuses on various problems which are associated with the innovation adoption process in road safety, and/or traffic safety. There is a difference between an innovation which involves a purchase of equipment, and an innovation which merely calls for a change in behavior, although a decision is called for in each case. The author considers various ways in which research could help in solving some of the behavioral problems that are relevant to innovation adoption. With discussing the relevant value of the innovation it is argued that a seat belt greatly reduces the chances of injury in accidents; driving with dipped headlights in dimly-lit streets considerably improves the chances of the car being seen; and a pair of wing mirrors will improve a driver's view to the rear. A recent survey found that more cars had fog lights than seat belts; it may be that this is partly because drivers experience fog several times in a year and because a fog light may prevent an accident, whereas a seat belt can only help to mitigate the consequences of an accident.

In this article Mr. Ferguson, Lecturer in Psychology at Otago University, and Mr. Geddes, National Research Scholar at the same University (now of the New Zealand Government Transport Department), describe an investigation into the beliefs of pedestrians regarding their visibility to motor drivers at night. They indicate that many pedestrians may greatly overestimate the degree of their visibility and suggest this as one of the causes of road accidents. Although the experiment was not conducted on a large scale the results serve to bring home a point of some practical importance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]