This seminar, which took place on 2-3 October 1997 at the Josefow Conference Centre near Warsaw, set out to define the role and place of communication in the field of road safety, examine the different strategies of communication and identify their limits. The seminar was attended by 130 experts from 23 countries with ECMT membership or observer status.

The discussions established that communication is an essential element of a global road safety policy in that it aims to inform, alert, educate, convince and ultimately alter people’s attitudes and behaviour. The resources employed and the channels of communication used can differ from country to country, depending on the topic addressed, the national culture and the goals to be achieved.

Communication cannot be an end in itself, however: it can only be the complement of other measures. It must have a time frame within which the objectives set have to be attained. Evaluation of communication effectiveness is likewise essential.