More Sustainable but More Dangerous Cities: The Role of Communication Campaigns in Protecting Vulnerable Road Users

The transition towards a sustainable mobility model encourages an increase in the use of soft modes of transport, and thus an increase in the number of vulnerable road users, especially in urban areas. In Spain, this group of users, comprising pedestrians, cyclists, users of personal mobility vehicles and motorcyclists, accounted for 62,258 victims in road accidents in 2023, 46% of the total, with 7258 dead or seriously injured representing 65.6% of the total. Different strategies to protect vulnerable road users, including communication campaigns, are regularly developed to increase safe travel behaviour. In this context, this study analyses the campaigns issued by the Directorate General of Traffic since 1960 aimed at vulnerable road users. Only 28 campaigns met the established inclusion criteria, representing 23.5% of the total. Thus, the period 2011–2024 has seen the lowest prevalence of this type of campaign, coinciding with a context characterised by the emergence of new forms of micro-mobility that are more sustainable but also more exposed to risks. Due to this complex environment, it is recommended to increase the prevalence of campaigns targeted at vulnerable users and to maximise their effectiveness using emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and big data, and delivered through a combination of traditional and digital media.