Improving the Links Between Research and Road Safety Policy: the Case of France and England's Speed Management

Recent European and national administration reports identified contextual, cultural and structural obstacles which need to be overcome in order to achieve the levels of dialogue and collaboration between research and public policy: How does “evidence” speak to “policy-makers”? How should research results be used for a more evidence based policy-making? So our communication is a comparison in the use of scientific studies in speed management policy between France and the United Kingdom since the 1970s. This work shows that, over the period investigated, research utilisation in France was much more strategic, whilst in England it was primarily instrumental, which can be explained by reference to the place and the legitimacy of the organisations producing research in the two countries.