Campaign insights
- Over the past five years, a yearly average of 21% of driver and motorcycle rider fatalities had an illegal Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) level. This figure does not include other road users killed or seriously injured by drink drivers.
- The TAC’s Road Safety Monitor (RSM) states that most respondents reported having consumed alcohol in the last 12 months (73%) and close to half of those drivers had driven a vehicle after drinking alcohol.
- A further 48% of Victorians would still consider driving after two or more alcoholic drinks indicating there is a strong need for a campaign focussing on separating drinking and driving as it is impossible for people to accurately judge whether they are at 0.05 or over.
- There are many factors that can impact a person’s BAC readings such as sex, age, weight, fatigue levels or tolerance to alcohol, yet many drivers are still taking the risk to drink then drive.
Campaign objectives
This campaign aims to reframe safe driving behaviour around alcohol from the 0.05 reference point to complete separation in an effort to reduce fatalities and serious injuries on our roads by:
- Redefining what is acceptable behaviour by nullifying the false rules, myths and tools used to manage the risks of drink driving.
- Correcting and educating drivers about the current penalties – the consequences of being caught for drink driving are inconvenient and are expensive.
- Encouraging drivers to skip guessing whether they are under 0.05 altogether and emphasise complete separation.
- Leveraging the TAC’s ‘Always On’ Enforcement campaign to increase the perceived risk of getting caught.
Given the complexities and unreliability of knowing whether a driver is over the limit, and their diminished ability to make good decisions regarding driving after drinking, messaging about completely separating drinking from driving is the best and safest option to help reduce alcohol related road trauma.
Watch the Video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRVXzm79b48