'Worst passenger? Your phone' is the message a team from University of Limerick devised as part of their winning marketing project to 'Reimagine Road Safety'.
More than 1,000 students across Ireland took part in the Road Safety Reimagined initiative, highlighting the lifelong and potentially devastating impact of a moment's distraction behind the wheel.
Research from the Road Safety Authority (RSA) in 2023 found that nearly one in ten Irish drivers have been caught using their phones while driving.
Students from UL, South East Technological University, University of Galway, Maynooth University, and University College Cork created projects to "reimagine road safety" using contemporary marketing concepts and solutions to positively impact driving behaviour.
They looked at the impact of reckless behaviour from applying make-up behind the wheel to being distracted by other passengers in the car.
The overall winners were a team from UL who focused on the dangers of the mobile phone while driving.
Their tagline was 'Worst passenger? Your phone'.
The winning team - consisting of UL students Fintan O’Kelly, Clodagh O’Meara, Esther Olaoye, Evan O’Neill, Callum O’Leary, Keira O’Neill, Ailbhe O’Loughlin, Molly O’Neill, Cian O Mahony - said: "Many drivers believe they can multi-task, but divided attention slows reaction time and increases risk, endangering not only themselves but also passengers, pedestrians, and other road users."
Dr Christina O’Connor, Associate Professor in Marketing at UL who coordinated the Road Safety Reimagined initiative, along with Sergeant Tony Miniter of the Limerick Roads Policing Unit, stressed the importance of engaging with Ireland’s young road users.
"This year the Road Safety Reimagined Initiative engaged with over 1,000 students across five Irish universities. This directly equates to 1,000 learner drivers or new drivers on our roads over the coming years.
"We have an opportunity to change the mindset and the behaviour of these road users through this initiative, which was embedded within their respective business lectures. It has been a fantastic challenge for all involved, and the impact of this work is lifesaving."
Speaking at the event in Limerick, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said: "Road Safety Reimagined provides a great opportunity for so many students to engage with such an important topic, and one which is so relevant to you all gathered here in this room.
"It opens up conversations around road safety and helps us to reach those who often struggle to connect with this key message.
"Too often we see tragedy on the roads, and so, anything we can do to prevent this from happening An Garda Síochána is glad to support.
"Engaging these talented young people in devising a marketing campaign around road safety which is aimed at their peers was a novel idea, and to see this initiative go from strength to strength is a credit to all those involved.
"This work provides us with such valuable insights and showcases the great many creative and innovative ways we can connect with those most at risk on our roads."
Acting UL President Professor Shane Kilcommins said: "This is a public good, working in the national interest and you can see that through the work that the students are engaged in and everybody around the project, but you can also see it in the knowledge exchange. It is wonderful that we have that - all of you are helping to make impact on road safety and creating a safer future."
A highlight of Road Safety Reimagined, now in its third year, is the presentation of the Oisin Crotty Road Safety Inspiration Award, sponsored by ESB.
This year's award was jointly presented to Keith Mullane, Assistant Chief Ambulance Officer for the Mid-West National Ambulance Service and John Lyons, Station Officer at Rathkeale Fire and Rescue Station, in recognition of their outstanding contribution to road safety education.
With almost 50 years of combined experience with the ambulance service and fire and rescue service respectively, they have been heavily involved in the Lifesaver Project - an initiative which aims to highlight the reality of road safety, particularly targeted at students and young people.
