Table 3

Application of health warning research findings to car warnings

DimensionHealth warningsCar warning
Mechanism of ActionRisk PerceptionHealth warnings typically increase consumers’ perceived health risksCan environmental warnings in car advertisements enhance risk perception? As direct personal health risks are more likely to trigger behavioural change (Rogers et al., 1977), can automotive warnings further enhance perceived risk by integrating health and environmental messages (Jacobs et al., 2018), i.e. by emphasising personal relevance (e.g. air pollution causing respiratory disease)?
Attitudes, Cognition and Behavioural IntentionsHealth warnings often trigger intentions to quit smoking or reduce alcohol consumptionCan car warnings reduce the intention to buy and use a private car?
Visual AttentionMost health warnings trigger visual attention. Different design elements of health warnings, for example, format (text vs. images), framing, size, colour, etc.) elicit varying levels of visual attentionExamining the effects of text versus image warnings, gain-framed versus loss-framed information on visual attention and their combinations
Actual Behavioural ChangeHealth warnings have contributed to lower smoking rates in some regionsCould car warnings reduce consumer use and ownership of private cars?
Regulatory FrameworkMandatory government regulations with strict enforcement, well-established over yearsAt an early stage of implementation and exploration. Countries with mandatory car warnings: France, Ireland. Car warnings will probably be more aligned with health warnings. Future research on this subject will facilitate the improvement of relevant regulations
Source(s): Authors’ own work

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