New York, USA – Officials in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam today kicked off a strong mass media campaign to cut down on drink driving, a frequent cause of road crashes in Vietnam and in its largest city.
With support from Vital Strategies and the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS), the city’s campaign features two public service announcements (PSAs) that vividly showcase the grave consequences of operating a motorized vehicle after consuming alcohol. One PSA will target automobile drivers and the other will focus on motorcyclists, an important message in a city where motorcyclists in particular are more likely to fail sobriety checkpoints and thus put lives in danger.
In 2015 alone, 698 people were killed and 277 injured in crashes on Ho Chi Minh City roads. Additionally, the city experienced over 29,000 blood alcohol concentration (BAC) violations, with motorcycle drivers being the most likely to test above the legal limit at sobriety checkpoints. Since 34 percent of all road crash deaths in Vietnam involve alcohol, Ho Chi Minh City will crack down on violations of drinking and driving laws and use this new campaign to deter motorists from engaging in unsafe road behavior.
“We are grateful to leaders in Ho Chi Minh City for using a strategic and comprehensive approach to lessen the amount of drinking and driving that endangers so many people,” said José Luis Castro, President and Chief Executive Officer of Vital Strategies. “City officials have smartly targeted two key audiences – automobile drivers and motorcyclists – with effective messages reminding them that engaging in drink driving is not only against the law, but also destroys lives.”
Ho Chi Minh City will use TV and social media to promote the campaign, which will run through December, a time of year that experiences an increase in alcohol consumption during the holiday period. It is part of a global, 10-city program spearheaded by BIGRS and coordinated by Vital Strategies to reduce road crashes in major cities around the world.
About “Drink Driving”
Road safety experts refer to the epidemic of drinking and driving as “drink driving” instead of “drunk driving” since the risk of impairment starts at very low levels of alcohol consumption.
About Vital Strategies
Vital Strategies envisions a world where every person is protected by a strong public health system. Our team combines evidence-based strategies with innovation to help develop sound public health policies, manage programs efficiently, strengthen data systems, conduct research, and design strategic communication campaigns for policy and behavior change.
For further information please contact Jon Steed, Vital Strategies, at +1.917.710.2846 or jsteed@vitalstrategies.org