YOUNG MALE DRIVERS, the frequent target of road safety messages, are again being engaged in a new campaign.

Motorsport Ireland has said that all participants taking part in four-wheeled motorsports here will be asked to wear a metal tag that will read: “WEAR. BELIEVE. ACT.”

The tag is part of a global campaign for the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety, which will be formally launched on 11 May next and which aims to save five million lives worldwide over the next ten years. Jean Todt, president of the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), launched the Irish effort today.

Alex Sinclair, CEO of Motorsport Ireland, said:

We know that motorsport is hugely popular, with fans turning out in their tens of thousands to support our national and international events. Motorsport Ireland is committed to promoting road safety in motorsports and this initiative will contribute to both the national and global campaigns and save lives on our roads.

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) said that Ireland’s high number of rallying fans per head of population meant that it was an ideal opportunity to engage with young men who “are over-represented in road deaths in Ireland”.

Young male drivers have been frequently the target of road safety ads and campaigns. A campaign around Valentine’s Day four years ago asked young men to consider the possibility that they could kill their partner by driving too fast. Entitled, ‘For My Valentine’, the Mayo County Council’s Road Safety officer also distributed 1,000 Valentine’s Day cards to the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, and locals FAS training clubs and car clubs.

The card read: ‘For My Valentine’, with the message inside reading: “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to kill you. I was driving too fast.”