Social media has an impact on the traffic behaviour of young adults that should not be underestimated. The more often they witness unsafe traffic behavior on social media, the more likely they are to engage in risky behavior and receive traffic fines themselves.

This is the conclusion of a recent study by the road safety institute Vias among young adults. The results demonstrate for the first time in Belgium the link between social media and risky behavior in traffic, such as driving through red lights, using a cell phone while driving, crossing a closed railway line or ‘racing’ against another road user.

The research also suggests that watching these videos changes young adults’ attitudes toward risky behaviour, making it more socially acceptable and more realistic for them to engage in such behaviour themselves.

Survey among 1,000 young adults

Vias collected dozens of Belgian traffic videos that can be seen on social media such as Instagram and TikTok. The researchers showed the study participants the videos and asked them how they felt about them. The participating young people also had to indicate how many fines they had received in the past year.

A representative sample of almost 1,000 young adults aged 18 to 26 participated in the survey. One in eight, or 13% of young adults between the ages of 18 and 26, see videos of risky behavior on social media almost every day. A quarter (24%) see these kinds of videos weekly. This is more common among men than women.

There is also a correlation between interaction with these videos, such as liking and commenting, and exposure frequency. Those who comment more often will see more videos like this.

Link between frequent exposure and risky behavior

The results were striking: those who said they regularly saw these videos were also the ones who received fines more often. And those who indicated in the survey that they ‘rarely or never’ exhibited risky behavior were also the ones who had been shown the fewest videos of risky behavior. 

The problem with social media is that the videos you see are tailored to your interests. So, if you like them or comment on them, you’ll see them more often.

Minister of Mobility Jean-Luc Crucke (Les Engagés) takes the investigation very seriously. “This is the first time we’ve seen the link between social media and risky behavior in traffic in Belgium,” he told newspaper De Standaard. “That’s no longer debatable, so we have to work on it.”

‘Unacceptable’

“Any dangerous behavior on the road, regardless of age, is unacceptable. We will take action at various levels: strengthening prevention in consultation with the regions, exploring with Vias how we can use these platforms to raise awareness, and intensifying the fight against recidivism. The protection of road users remains my absolute priority.”

Although approving reactions to undesirable driving behavior are more common among young adults, the majority of respondents had a negative attitude towards the risky behavior observed.

Crucke emphasizes that social media themselves aren’t the problem. “We can use social media to provide other examples as well.” An added value of social media is that behavior can be influenced not only by the awareness campaign itself but also by others’ reactions to it (via likes, shares, comments).