Toolkit developed to help community radio stations deliver lifesaving road safety messages
A toolkit outlining how community radio stations can help save lives by delivering important road safety messages has been developed, thanks to funding from The Road Safety Trust.
The toolkit, produced by Bristol-based BCfm Radio, followed a successful local advertising campaign delivered last year to residents and motorists in the West of England as part of a Trust-funded project. It aimed to test whether locally tailored, community-informed road safety messages broadcast through community radio could increase engagement and encourage safer driving behaviours.
Messaging was developed with the support of focus groups, with participants invited to listen to a curated selection of road safety radio adverts from the UK and abroad and discuss which elements they found effective or ineffective, sharing ideas for new, locally targeted radio adverts.
The result was a series of adverts aired on four community radio stations over a two-month period: BCfm Radio; Wave Radio (North Somerset); Radio Bath (Bath & North East Somerset); and Thornbury Radio (South Gloucestershire). Each message played four to eight times each day on each station, ensuring repeated exposure throughout peak commuting and leisure listening periods.
The success of the advertising campaign led to the production of the toolkit, which has been designed to support any future road safety campaigns to be delivered by community radio stations.
Project Lead Marcus Smith, from BCfm, said: “With more than 300 community radio stations across the UK, and between one and two million listeners every week, we have a unique opportunity to reach people with life-saving road safety messages in a trusted, local way.
“Radio also remains one of the few media people regularly consume while driving, making it a powerful platform for encouraging safer behaviour behind the wheel.”
The project also made a series of recommendations for road safety organisations, funders, and practitioners. These include:
Prioritise partnerships with community radio stations
Embed localisation into campaign design
Incorporate community insight early in development
Strengthen academic collaboration
Support national replication through practical tools
Adopt proportionate and realistic evaluation frameworks
Explore diverse and blended funding models
Ruth Purdie OBE, Chief Executive at The Road Safety Trust, said: “Community radio stations have the power to deliver important safety messages with a trusted, local voice. Listeners are more likely to resonate with what’s being said, and feel a connection to the places, people and roads that are spoken about.
“I would encourage colleagues in the road safety sector to make use of the national toolkit and engage with their own community radio stations to develop effective campaigns that can generate positive behaviour change in motorists, to the benefit of all road users.”
Further details about the community radio station campaign can be found on the dedicated project page.
You may also directly download the toolkit.
16 July 2026