Drink drivers are selfish pricks: SA Police’s new road safety campaign has a savage message aimed at young men

Police have launched a new anti-drink driving campaign branding offenders “selfish pricks” – and say they hope it offends people. Watch the first ad here.

Police will begin calling drink drivers “selfish pricks” in a campaign to try and reach the most intransigent offenders.

The print, TV and radio campaign launched on Friday and will run from this weekend under the banner “Drink Drivers are Selfish Pricks”, with police preparing for a social media and talkback radio backlash against the colourful language.

Officer in Charge of State Operations, Assistant Commissioner Ian Parrott, said some would be offended, especially as it was police themselves using the blunt terminology.

“This (selfish pricks) is what we think drink drivers are, and what the majority of people in the community think they are,’’ he said.

“For some of our more senior members of the community we understand some people may be offended by the language, but hopefully that starts a conversation with younger family members and others.

“Absolutely if you are in the target group and drink drive you should be offended, but this is a message that will cut through and we want to start conversations by using this message.”

A stark image from the new campaign. Picture: SA Police

Mr Parrott said he had seen first-hand the impact road carnage had on the community and the vast majority of people polled during testing of the advertisement agreed with the use of the phrase “selfish prick”.

“I have had to knock on the door of a parent’s house on Christmas morning, letting them know their son had been killed in a crash,’’ he said.

“We deal with the results on a daily basis. In recent years 54 lives could have been saved if these people didn’t drink and drive.”

In cases where children may see the messaging the word prick will be altered to p*k, and it has been rated PG so will not be broadcast during sensitive times.

The production cost of $250,000 included rigorous research into the motivations of drink drivers, which found 77 per cent of South Australians agree with the term.

Previous Motor Accident Commission advertisements alluded to offensive language, but did not use it uncensored.

Interviews with people who admitted to drink driving revealed that convenience is the prevailing reason for choosing to drive rather than take alternative transport or stay at a friend’s house after drinking.

In the past five years, 14 per cent of all fatal crashes and 8 per cent of serious injury crashes involved at least one driver or rider with a blood-alcohol level over the legal limit.

Police shooting an advertisement for their hard-hitting new anti-drink driving campaign.

Police took over road safety messaging responsibilities from the defunct Motor Accident Commission in 2019, and have been working on a replacement for the three-year-old “10-Year Hangover” campaign.

Mr Parrott said wanting to have their car at home in the morning, wanting to sleep in their own bed and wanting to save money rather than pay for a taxi were among the reasons given for choosing to drive after drinking, despite the recognised risk of being caught or being involved in a crash.

Launching the campaign at Adelaide University’s School of Medicine mortuary, Police Minister Vincent Tarzia backed the use of the sledge “prick” and said 17 lives were lost in 2020 because of drink driving.

“This campaign is based on the selfish insights of drink drivers who have put their life, and the lives of others, at risk on our roads,” he said.