RSA campaign labels drink drivers as 'social outcasts' 

Gardaí stop motorists at a checkpoint in Dubin.

A road safety campaign for the Road Safety Authority (RSA) said one of the only ways to reach drink drivers was to portray them as “social outcasts". 

The campaign briefing document said people who drink before driving do not care about others, but do care “about what others think of them".

It said in an age of loneliness, social acceptance has never been more important and this was the “button to press down on".

The presentation was prepared as part of the RSA’s ‘Blood On Your Hands’ campaign, which shows a driver in a pub among friends drinking a pint — their hands covered in blood — before getting in a car.

A slideshow said: “[It] must feel real and rooted in culture [and] must have appeal to men across age groups.” 

It explained how drink driving was creeping back up in society again, with a 12% rise in social acceptability from 2019 to 2023.

The campaign looked to target males of all ages with a “rural focus” and for weekends, hens, stags, and morning afters.

It said people who drank and then drove were selfish, and did so because it was easy for them to get to their destination.

One presentation slide said: “When caught, [they] act like victims. When caught, [they] try and get out of the consequences.” 

It said the image of a driver with bloody hands would create an “immediate connection and visceral impact.” 

The campaign was one of three considered by the RSA.

An RSA spokeswoman said: “Early research on the campaign shows it has been highly effective, achieving a challenging dual objective. 

"It strongly reinforced established anti-drink driving norms while also introducing and embedding a new concept of social responsibility."

“The research found that the creative approach effectively leveraged emotional drivers to influence behaviour. By evoking both guilt and a sense of shared responsibility, the campaign not only built intention but also gave people the confidence to intervene.”