'Blood on your hands' new drink driving ad hits home

New explicit driving ad highlights need for better rural transport, councillor says

A new RSA advert featuring a man drinking in a pub with his friends before getting his car has hit Irish screens this week and local councillor Paddy O'Rourke spoke to the Leitrim Observer on his views.

He said the advert "further emphasises the necessity for rural transport so that people can socialise without the fear of having to make their own way home and it has worked in some areas but it needs to be extended right across rural Ireland."

The clip shows the man sitting down to a pint with his friends and the group's hands slowly become increasingly covered in blood the more they drink.

Outside the pub, his friend is clearly uncomfortable that he is driving himself home but fails to say anything and instead, turns away and walks off.

“Drink driving kills. Don’t let your friends drink and drive,” the caption reads at the end.

The ad harks back to the hard-hitting campaigns from the noughties which often featured shocking scenes of the outcome of collisions caused by drivers who had been drinking, speeding or driving without care.

The launch of the ad comes after it was revealed that one driver was arrested every hour for drink or drug driving offences in 2024, according to Garda Commissioner Drew Harris.

Harris also confirmed that over 7,500 drivers were arrested for intoxicated driving last year.

The new ad premiered at the RSA’s Annual International Road Safety Conference, where Seán Canney, Minister of State for the Department of Transport, said the campaign “challenges us all to take responsibility”.

“Whether at the pub, at a party, or any social gathering … say no to drink driving and call it out.”

The RSA aims to eliminate road deaths completely by 2050. While there was a 4% decrease in 2024 compared to the previous year, the trend shows a gradual increase in road deaths over the last decade.