Accident Prone Area: Television News Media Portrayal of Traffic Accidents and Its Influence on Drivers' Risk Perception

Bade, M.P.B. (2015). Accident prone area: Television news media portrayal of traffic accidents and its influence on drivers’ risk perception of accident involvement, Unpublished Undergraduate Thesis, University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication.

The study investigates how television news media influences drivers‘ risk perception of accident involvement. Utilizing agenda-setting, framing, and cultivation theories, the study delineates the relationship between TV news media portrayal of traffic accidents and drivers‘ risk perception of accident involvement. Two weeks of TV news reports were constructed in order to analyze traffic accident news stories. At the same time, 400 public and private drivers from Quezon City, the city in the metro where the most number of traffic accidents occurred, were subjected to a random sampling to describe the drivers‘ general risk perception.

Findings revealed a substantial difference between TV news reports and the reality of traffic accidents in the country. Despite this, akin to the tenets of Cultivation Theory, television news media exposure still has influence over drivers‘ risk perception of accident involvement. Results also revealed that drivers‘ life experiences, as well as their personal and social characteristics, contribute to their risk perception formation.

Keywords: Media Portrayal, Traffic Accidents, Risk Perception, Accident Involvement, Communication

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