Paternalism and acceptability in road safety work

The system of road traffic has traditionally been quite liberal, with low barriers to entry and respect for the privacy of individuals, as long as they abide by regulations. Arguably, the success of road safety work has come at the price of increased paternalism. The aim of this paper is threefold: first, to give a brief presentation of conceptualisations of paternalism, and their relevance to road safety. Second, to point out some of the influences leading to increased use of paternalistic measures in road safety work. Finally, I will try to define to what extent and in which situations overtly paternalistic measures appear to be (or are perceived to be) unacceptable to the public.