Liz O’Donnell: Talking about road safety could save lives
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A recent rise in the number of deaths and serious injuries on Irish roads is of huge concern. It demands and deserves more resources to reverse the regrettable trend, which has the capacity to undo many of the road safety achievements of the last two decades.
The violent and sudden loss of any life brings deep devastation and a unique grief, particularly when it involves a young person. Those left behind endure the pain of seeing a promising future vanish. Then there is the shock of dealing with a sudden death, the unreality of organising a funeral and the reality of a bleak future. No time to say goodbye, guilt about things unsaid, recrimination about who is to blame, court cases which can last years. This is road trauma.
Last year 185 people died. Of these 48 were teenagers and young adults aged 16-25, representing a quarter of all fatalities (26%).
So far this year, 28 people aged between 16 and 25 (26%) have died on our roads, devastating families and communities across the country. While enforcement on our roads plays a crucial role in reducing casualties, education and awareness through campaigns can play a huge role in promoting safe driving.
So how does the Road Safety Authority reach and influence young people’s driving behaviour?
Ireland's media landscape and news consumption habits for the younger audience have changed substantially. A powerful road safety TV ad aired before the nine o'clock news used to have a significant impact, but that is no longer the case, especially for those who consume their news online and through social media.
To address this shift, we have revamped our media buying strategy to ensure precision targeting and minimal wastage, so that our messages reach only the intended audience. For younger demographics, we emphasise audiovisual and experiential activations. We target audiences at times of increased risk, with late-night audio campaigns addressing risky behaviours like speeding, drink and drug driving, and phone use. We also use geo-targeted social media campaigns to laser in on areas with high road deaths.
For instance, to effectively influence youth in rural areas, we are partnering with Macra to create short-format social media videos about the dangers of drink driving, mobile phone use, speeding, farm safety, and seatbelt use.
The current president of Macra, Elaine Houlihan, a well-respected young woman, delivers these messages in relatable language and a way that resonates with her peers. These videos will be specifically aimed at the approximately 10,000 Macra members and other farming communities through TikTok and Meta social media channels. Our approach is to be agile, allowing us to tweak campaigns based on post-campaign analysis.
Earlier this year, we launched the ‘SAY IT’ campaign, encouraging people to speak up about dangerous driving habits among their friends and family.
Coinciding with the May Bank Holiday, the RSA introduced the "Time to Talk" campaign, urging individuals to discuss safe driving practices with their loved ones. This initiative emerged from focus groups with young males, who indicated that their behaviours are more influenced by loved ones than celebrities or influencers. Young men told us that hearing a mother say "slow down" or a father mention that the neighbour saw them speeding, or a girlfriend calling out her fear of driving with them resonated most deeply.
Featuring stark imagery of a hearse and funeral notices, the campaign aimed to highlight the trauma of losing someone in a crash. This campaign quickly reached 15.3 million impressions on social media alone. On July 18 we launched a new TV ad to extend the Time-to-Talk campaign.
The new ad makes people consider what it would be like to lose a loved one in a road collision. It aims to address the rising number of fatalities on Irish roads by encouraging people to have life-saving conversations with loved ones about their unsafe driving behaviours.
We have done targeted sports advertising and TV spots during sporting events to prompt crucial conversations about road safety among friends and family.
Some years ago, while attending a global Road Safety Conference in Sweden I spotted lots of young people participating. So, I decided to use this idea here. Earlier this year myself and Minister Jack Chambers launched the inaugural Road Safety Youth Forum, to give Irish young people a voice. This provides a safe space for young people, aged 12-25, to discuss their road safety concerns and feed into government policy. The forum will meet eight times over two years, with opportunities for additional members to join as it progresses.
For students of driving age, the ”Your Road to Safety“ program for transition year students prepares them for learning to drive. It includes lessons on topics such as speeding, seat belt use, intoxicated driving, and vehicle maintenance. A revised TY program is set to launch later this year with a focus on creating memorability around road safety learnings, getting young people involved in creating a culture of change in their community and tapping into their desire to be independent (and safe) road users in the future.
At GamerFest, a leading gaming event in May in the RDS, the RSA engaged with young people in a new environment. Attendees experienced the consequences of driving under the influence, while tired, or while using a mobile phone through Virtual Reality. Participants reported that they were much less likely to drink and drive or get into a vehicle with an intoxicated driver.
Our outreach will continue at music festivals and events. Collectively, these diverse campaigns and partnerships are important for reinforcing road safety messaging with young people. Our aim ultimately is to protect them from their own inexperience as drivers and from youthful energy which can turn to recklessness.
Road safety is a collective responsibility, and we all must play our part in creating safer roads. So, dear reader, I am asking you to think about even one person, of whatever age, with whom you can have a kind and thoughtful chat about road safety. It’s time to talk; it could make a difference and save a life.