2FM launch Road Safety Authority Campaign Think and Drive

2FM has teamed up with the Road Safety Authority (RSA), the Gaelic Players Association, the FAI, the IRFU and a host of Irish musicians to record road safety messages which will be broadcast on 2FM over the coming weeks.

The campaign is called 2FM Think and Drive and rolls out on air today.

2FM have joined forces with faces from the worlds of sport and music to encourage 2FM listeners to slow down and have a safer summer on Irish roads. The Script s Danny O'Donoghue, Irish Rugby international Andrew Porter, Irish Women's Soccer team goalie Courtney Brosnan and a host of GAA intercounty players including Se n O'Shea of the Kerry Football team and Grace Walsh from Kilkenny Camogie will be appealing to drivers to travel safely on the roads and arrive alive.

The number of road fatalities so far this year in Ireland stands at 103 and underlines how Irish road safety is continuing to trend in the wrong direction. 2023 was the worst year for road deaths in nearly a decade, with 188 deaths. 2024 is tracking to be worse again. On July 10th last year, 87 people had died on the roads, and it would be 1 August 2023 before 100 fatalities were recorded. This year's figures indicate road fatalities are trending 17% higher year on year.

Dan Healy, Head of RT Digital Audio and of RT 2fm said: We're very happy to support this campaign here at 2FM and hope it serves as a gentle reminder to our listeners to slow down, stop for a break if they're tired and stay safe while driving. RT 2FM will be taking to the road for upcoming festivals including Electric Picnic in Stradbally and Dublin's We've Only Just Begun festival, bringing listeners live interviews and performances from some of the hottest names in the business. We want all our listeners to arrive safely and our presenters look forward to seeing them there.

Sam Waide, chief executive of the Road Safety Authority, welcomed the partnership with 2FM. We need to let people know that speeding, intoxicated and distracted driving are contributing to death and serious injury on our roads. Our recent observational study showed one in two drivers exceeding 30, 50 and 60km/h speed limits. In a separate study, one in ten drivers admitted driving after drinking alcohol last year. Our research indicates higher levels of social acceptability of drink-driving in recent years, and that one in four drivers believe it is acceptable to drive short distances after having a drink. There are also high levels of mobile phone use in Ireland. Survey research from 2023 has indicated that approximately one in five motorists are checking their phones while driving.

The short audio messages will be broadcast on 2FM over the coming weeks. Voices featured will include:

Danny O'Donoghue The Script

Ryan Hennessy and Jimmy Rainsford Picture This

Lyra

Chubby Cat

Andrew Porter Irish Rugby Team

Aoife Wafer Irish Rugby Team

Courtney Brosnan Irish Women's Soccer Team

Dan Morrissey Limerick Hurling Team

Dearbhla Magee Down Camogie Team

Grace Walsh Kilkenny Camogie Team

Jennifer Dunne Dublin Senior Ladies Football Team

Paddy Burke Antrim Hurling Team

Ryan McHugh Donegal Football Team

Se n O'Shea Kerry Football Team

Shauna Ennis Meath Ladies Football

(1) Contributory Factors and Driver Fatalities: Examining key Dangerous Behaviours, May 2023

(2) The study is based on coronial data for 362 of the 431 drivers killed on Irish roads during 2015-2019.)

Sam Waide, chief executive of the Road Safety Authority, welcomed the partnership with 2FM. We need to let people know that speeding, intoxicated and distracted driving are contributing to death and serious injury on our roads. Our recent observational study showed one in two drivers exceeding 30, 50 and 60km/h speed limits. In a separate study, one in ten drivers admitted driving after drinking alcohol last year. Our research indicates higher levels of social acceptability of drink-driving in recent years, and that one in four drivers believe it is acceptable to drive short distances after having a drink. There are also high levels of mobile phone use in Ireland. Survey research from 2023 has indicated that approximately one in five motorists are checking their phones while driving.

The short audio messages will be broadcast on 2FM over the coming weeks. Voices featured will include:

Danny O'Donoghue The Script

Ryan Hennessy and Jimmy Rainsford Picture This

Lyra

Chubby Cat

Andrew Porter Irish Rugby Team

Aoife Wafer Irish Rugby Team

Courtney Brosnan Irish Women's Soccer Team

Dan Morrissey Limerick Hurling Team

Dearbhla Magee Down Camogie Team

Grace Walsh Kilkenny Camogie Team

Jennifer Dunne Dublin Senior Ladies Football Team

Paddy Burke Antrim Hurling Team

Ryan McHugh Donegal Football Team

Se n O'Shea Kerry Football Team

Shauna Ennis Meath Ladies Football

(1) Contributory Factors and Driver Fatalities: Examining key Dangerous Behaviours, May 2023

(2) The study is based on coronial data for 362 of the 431 drivers killed on Irish roads during 2015-2019.)

Notes:

News Source:

https://www.garda.ie/en/roads-policing/statistics/roads-policing-fatalities-to-date-for-2024/

The new campaign provides reminders to motorists how to stay safe when driving and provides advice on how to avoid a collision due to these main dangerous driving behaviours. Recent research (1) from the Road Safety Authority shows that:

26% of the driver fatalities with a record of their action were exceeding a safe speed.

37% of the driver fatalities with a toxicology result available had a positive toxicology for alcohol (2).

40% of the driver fatalities with a record of whether they wore a seat belt, were not wearing a seat belt.

Separately, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO, 2022), drivers usin

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