Give your mates “the look” if they consider driving after drinking
Young male drivers are again the target of the latest campaign to make drink driving even more socially unacceptable.
Tasmania
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A NEW road safety campaign appeals to peer pressure among young men, encouraging them to give each other “the look” if one is about to get behind the wheel after drinking.
Transport Minister Michael Ferguson said alcohol was a factor in around 17 per cent of fatalities or serious injury-crashes. Of that 17 per cent, a fifth are men aged between 17 and 25.
“We are not tracking well this year and must keep working towards our target of zero fatalities on Tasmania’s roads,” Mr Ferguson said.
The $200,000 “look” initiative is a new version of the long-running ‘Real mates don’t let mates drink-drive’ campaign and is again about stepping in if you see a bad decision being made.
“This latest campaign encourages young men to intervene and stop a mate from driving after he’s been drinking. Words don’t have to be spoken, because a look can be just as powerful as words, particularly between friends,” Mr Ferguson said.
“Stopping a mate who has been drinking from driving could save his life and other people’s lives.
“Driving after drinking does not come down to human error. There is a point where a decision is made to do it. This campaign gives young men a way to help a mate make the right decision.”
Chair of the Road Safety Advisory Council Garry Bailey said 17-25 males were over-represented in road trauma statistics.
“We have been targeting that audience for eight years and it is starting to make a difference,” Mr Bailey said. “It’s becoming more and more socially unacceptable to drink and drive.”
“Every one of the 400,000 licensed drivers in this State has a part to play.”
The new campaign comes after a horror stretch on Tasmania’s roads with three lives lost in a crash near Ross on October 2 and another woman killed after a crash at Copping.
Tasmania’s road toll has now hit 30 with three months to go until year’s end.
This compares to 24 deaths on Tasmania’s roads at the same time last year.
Inspector Scott Flude said Tasmania Police on patrol could only do so much to keep the roads safe.
“Everyone needs to be accountable and it’s just not cool to let your mates drive after drinking. The trauma associated with road deaths is immense,” Inspector Flude said.
The new ‘Real Mates’ campaign ad can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/GmmD9cQ4Xg4
Originally published as Give your mates “the look” if they consider driving after drinking