This project (with Andy McMeekin, University of Manchester) focusses on the history of the seatbelt in policy and practice in the UK. It is part of my work on theories of practice and policy, contributing to critiques of behavioural change approaches which have pervaded sustainable consumption policy.

We focus on road safety, an area that is viewed as a policy success story, in which multiple interventions across several decades have successfully (re)shaped driving practices. More specifically within that, we focus on the history of interventions related to seatbelts, this is often used as an example of successful behaviour change.

The research is using desk-based research of the academic literature, policy documents and parliamentary papers across the period of the study c.1950-1985 to revisit this example of successful intervention.

Working Paper
Spurling, N. and McMeekin, A. (2013) Seatbelts and the dynamics of policy and practice: Revisiting successful behaviour change. Working paper written for the RGS-IBG Annual International Conference, London, 27-30 August 2013. RGS seatbelts

Talks
Spurling, N. and McMeekin, A. (2013) Seatbelts and the dynamics of policy and practice: Revisiting successful behaviour change, RGS-IBG Annual International Conference, London, 27-30 August 2013. seatbeltslides

Spurling, N. and McMeekin, A. (2012) Studying policy intervention and the dynamics of practice, 4S/EASST, 17-21 October, Copenhagen Business School.

McMeekin, A. and Spurling, N. (2012) Putting Policy and Intervention into Practices, BSA Climate Change Study Group Event, 30-31 March 2012, University of Southampton.