It feels counterintuitive, but those dynamic display signs on highways and roads — the ones that flash safety messages and warnings against distracted driving — may actually contribute to more accidents. The messages are a kind of behavioural intervention — they (supposedly) remind people to pay attention to avoid crashes.
Today in The Conversation Canada, Jonathan Hall of the University of Toronto and Joshua Madsen of the University of Minnesota write about their findings examining the impact of safety messages on highways in Texas. What they found flew in the face of convention, but also seems like common sense: “Contrary to policymakers’ expectations (and ours), we found that displaying fatality messages increases the number of crashes.” Their findings indicate that consistent evaluation and revision of behavioural interventions may be the key to changing behaviour.
Also today:
All the best,
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Road signs often display safety messages in an attempt to reduce road crashes.
(Callum Blacoe/Unsplash)
Jonathan Hall, University of Toronto; Joshua Madsen, University of Minnesota
A study of displayed road signs in Texas shows that, surprisingly, safety messages may actually make roads less safe.
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Advertising encourages consumption, including products and activities that use large volumes of fossil fuels.
(Shutterstock)
Peter Dietsch, University of Victoria
The number of people who die from climate change each year is roughly the same as the number of people who die from tobacco use.
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A protestor shouts at people taking part in the March for Life on Parliament Hill in Ottawa in May, 2022.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Patrick Doyle
Candace Johnson, University of Guelph
Roe v. Wade demonstrates that reproductive rights are fragile, often insufficient and in need of protection everywhere.
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Plum Ridge School, the first school for Ukrainians in Manitoba, in Pleasant Home, seen in 1908.
CP PHOTO/1999/National Archives of Canada/PA-088422
Andrea Sterzuk, University of Regina
Ukrainian language education in the Canadian Prairies was shaped by shifting policies governing non-English immigrant settler language instruction in a larger settler colonial context.
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Physical activity can be an important tool for recovery from the collective trauma experienced and exacerbated throughout the pandemic.
(Shutterstock)
Francine Darroch, Carleton University; Lyndsay Hayhurst, York University, Canada
During spring and summer, as more people consider exercising outdoors, a trauma- and violence-informed approach to physical activity can help ensure equity, inclusion, safety and access.
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L’un des mythes qui contribuent à maintenir le fossé orgasmique est qu’il existe des différences intrinsèques entre les hommes et les femmes quant à ce qu’ils veulent des rapports sexuels.
Shutterstock
Nicole Andrejek, McMaster University
Il faut comprendre l’écart entre les hommes et les femmes en termes d’orgasmes comme une forme d’inégalité entre les sexes.
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Ukraine Invasion
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Tony Ward, The University of Melbourne
Russia’s botched invasion of Ukraine vividly demonstrates the real-world impacts of corruption, with Russian solders forced to eat rations years out of date while their leaders bought mega-yachts.
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Owen Greene, University of Bradford
The nation’s military strengths will add a considerable amount to Nato’s capabilities around the Baltic, an expert says.
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Christoph Bluth, University of Bradford; Owen Greene, University of Bradford
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has raised concerns about China’s intentions towards Taiwan.
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COVID-19
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Mayuresh Abhyankar, University of Virginia
Research suggests that giving a person a vaccine through their nose can provide a better defense against future exposure to the coronavirus compared to a shot in the arm.
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Culture + Society
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Helen A. Berger, Brandeis University
The far-right today shares more than just ideas with white supremacists of yesterday – they also share some pagan-inspired symbols.
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Politics
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Peter Squires, University of Brighton
Gun ownership is not the only factor that needs considering to tackle gun crime, an expert says.
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