Campaign tackles cannabis

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) launched the third in its series of Anti Drug Driving Campaigns on Friday 7th October 2011. This new campaign is aimed at raising awareness of the dangers and possible consequences of driving under the influence of cannabis, the most commonly used illegal drug.

As part of the campaign a new TV advertisement has been developed which challenges those who smoke cannabis and drive to really look at how the drug affects them.  (View Ad)

Scientific evidence has proven that cannabis impairs driving ability and increases a driver’s risk of being involved in a car crash. In fact cannabis users are 3 times more at risk of being involved in a road collision than a non cannabis user.

Read the research here, Driving under the influence of drugs.

Past Campaigns

New research commissioned by the RSA has revealed alarming misconceptions around driving under the influence of drugs, and even more alarming behaviour. The survey reports that one in five people between the ages of 17 and 34 have been willing passengers in a car driven by someone under the influence of drugs.

Of the 1000 sampled in the survey, nearly half had used recreational drugs at some point, with 6% saying they had been behin the wheel of a car under the influence.

RSA's Chief Executive Noel Brett says that drug-drivers typically think they're more competant drivers while they're under the influence, but the survey's findings reveal that 50% of these same drivers had already been fined for other traffic offences.

To raise awareness of the serious risks that drug driving poses, on Friday 30th July 2010, the RSA launched a new public service anti-drug driving TV and Cinema campaign.