The Donegal Road Safety Working Group have launched a radical new campaign to improve road safety called ‘Tough Love’. The campaign is the first of its kind in Ireland and a move away from the traditional approach of informing the public of the consequences of poor driving behaviour. This campaign asks everyone, particularly young girls and mothers, to speak up about their sons, partners and friends, whose risky driving behaviour is likely to lead to a serious traffic collision killing him or another road user.
A special telephone service has been set up which will allow concerned members of the public to call or text details in confidence. The easy to recall number is 087 9809999. The Gardaí will then assess the situation and speak to the driver about his behaviour and the responsibility that goes with being a driver on our roads. The number will be promoted using advertisements, posters and websites including a Bebo site developed by the Donegal Youth Council. This is the first campaign that specifically targets young male drivers aged 17-25yrs of age by asking for help from their loved ones like their mothers and girlfriends.
Whilst some may criticise this approach as stereotyping young male drivers, Inspector Pat O’Donnell believes the campaign, with the support of the public, can dramatically reduce the level of collisions on the county’s roads. Insp O’Donnell said, “Whilst we have seen a reduction in the number of deaths on the county’s roads in recent years the percentage of under 25’s killed has remained static. In 2008, 50% of those killed were under 25 years of age despite making up only 36% of the county’s population. This is a major issue and one which will require the support of the public to reverse this trend.”
Text services are increasingly being used by police services across Europe as a means of communicating with young people as they are more familiar and comfortable with this technology. The Donegal Road Safety Working Group has consulted widely on this issue with young people and feedback has concurred that texting and the use of internet technology, like Bebo, is likely to reach the target audience in Donegal more than the traditional leaflet or poster.
A report published by Co-operation And Working Together (CAWT) on road safety in Ireland in November 2007 highlighted the vulnerability of female passengers in cars driven by males. The research shows that between 1997 and 2006, 345 female passengers have been killed in road collisions. 68% (234) of the female passenger deaths were in cars driven by males. Furthermore, over one-third (81) of these were killed in cars driven by males aged 17-24. The research also highlighted that 7 out of 10 female passengers aged between 17 and 24 were killed in cars driven by males aged between 17 and 24.
Donegal County Council’s Road Safety Officer, Eamonn Brown said, “Unfortunately, the statistics demonstrate that it is often the girlfriend or wife of the driver who loses their life in these collisions. We often hear after a serious or fatal collision comments like ‘it was only a matter of time until he killed himself’ or ‘ he was a nice fellow but a madman behind the wheel of a car’ so we know that a lot of these collisions are preventable, if people are brave enough to do something about it. This telephone and text service now provides a confidential way of doing that. I would ask parents, girlfriends and anyone concerned about someones driving behaviour to make the call as it may be their own life that they are saving.”
The launch took place on 31st March in the LOFT in conjunction with the Donegal Youth Services who have recently joined the Donegal Road Safety Working Group. Gareth Gibson from the Donegal Youth Service said, “Donegal Youth Service is delighted to be involved with the work of the Donegal Road Safety Working Group. This latest campaign “Tough Love” launched in the Youth Information Centre/LOFT shows real commitment to improving road safety. Any early intervention that may prevent road carnage is welcomed. We very much appeal to young people and encourage them to have the courage to send the text or make the call, which may just save their life or the life of someone they care about.”
More information is available from;
Eamonn Brown, Road Safety Officer on 074 9172592 or 087 2535887
Garda Inspector Pat O’Donnell on 086 8282281