New RSA ad shows blood on the hands of those who promote drink driving
It's reminiscent of the shocking early-2000s road safety ads, which the RSA had departed from in recent years.
It centres a man who enters a pub and sits with his friends, putting his car keys on the table.
One person in the group asks if he'll have a pint and the man nods and says: 'Sure, I can always take the quiet road home.'
He sits drinking with his friends and their hands gradually become covered in more and more blood.
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The man gets up to leave and walks out, leaving bloody footprints behind him before getting in his car and driving away.
'Drink driving kills. Don't let your friends drink and drive,' the caption reads.
In the latest international E-Survey of Road Users' Attitudes (ESRA, 2023), 9% of drivers in Ireland admitted to driving within one hour of taking drugs at least once in the previous 30 days. This is higher than the EU average of 7%.
Drink-driving reports in Ireland are lower than the EU average – 10% compared to 15% – but alcohol continues to play a role in crashes.
The RSA analysed coronial data of driver fatalities between 2016 and 2020 and found that 35% of drivers with toxicology results available tested positive for alcohol.
The figure jumps to 70% for driver fatalities that occurred late at night and into the early morning (between 10pm-6am)
The new ad premiered at the RSA's Annual International Road Safety Conference, where Seán Canney, Minister of State for the Department of Transport, said the campaign 'challenges us all to take responsibility'.
'Whether at the pub, at a party, or any social gathering … say no to drink driving and call it out.'
The RSA aims to eliminate road deaths completely by 2050. While there was a 4% decrease in 2024 compared to the previous year, the trend shows a gradual increase in road deaths over the last decade.
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