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Vital Strategies Congratulates City of Fortaleza on New Drink Driving Campaign

(New York, USA) – Vital Strategies today congratulated city leaders in Fortaleza, Brazil, for the launch of a new mass media campaign aimed at curbing drink driving, a major road safety risk factor that contributes to over 1.25 million road-related deaths around the world annually.

In partnership with Vital Strategies and the Bloomberg Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS), Fortaleza’s campaign will focus on the severe consequences of drinking and driving, such as crashes causing serious injury and death, the devastating effect this has on families of victims as well as drivers, and the legal penalties of violating drink driving traffic laws. The public service announcement (PSA) for the campaign can be viewed here.

Road crashes are the leading cause of death globally for those aged 15-29 years. In Fortaleza, 278 people died last year as a result of road-related crashes that could have been prevented.

A recent study by the Brazilian National Health Survey found that 24.3% of motorists in Brazil acknowledge driving even after drinking, making drink driving interventions key in reducing deaths on Brazilian roads. Men aged 18-59 years are the primary victims of crashes caused by drinking and driving in Fortaleza.

“We congratulate the City of Fortaleza and Mayor Roberto Claudio for their commitment to combatting drink driving, and to reducing road traffic deaths and injuries. A strong, hard-hitting media campaign accompanied by thorough police enforcement efforts will help save lives and make Fortaleza’s roads safer,” said Kelly Larson of Bloomberg Philanthropies.

In coordination with the campaign, Fortaleza’s Municipal Agency of Traffic and Citizenship (AMC) will have increased presence in bars and restaurants to raise awareness about the deadly dangers of mixing alcohol consumption and driving, and local law enforcement will increase inspections on the roads to uphold drink driving traffic laws.

“When people get behind the wheel after consuming even a small amount of alcohol, they put the safety of themselves and others at severe risk,” said José Luis Castro, President and Chief Executive Officer of Vital Strategies. “Evidence shows that mass media campaigns and enforcement can change motorists’ risky behavior, and we are grateful that Fortaleza is taking the severity of drink driving seriously to save lives.”

The campaign is part of a global, 10-city program spearheaded by BIGRS and coordinated by Vital Strategies to reduce road crashes and deaths in major cities around the world. 

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 or to arrange an interview , please contact Tracey Johnston at +44.7889.081.170 or tjohnston@vitalstrategies.org or Kristi Saporito at +1.917.886.4657 or ksaporito@vitalstrategies.org