Sir, – Like many others I was shocked to see the latest misguided Road Safety Authority (RSA) campaign, where they labelled those who don’t drive “a burden to others”.
Aside from the obvious offence this will cause to those who can’t drive for disability or financial reasons, or those who choose not to for many other reasons, it ignores one simple fact. When the healthcare costs to society of pollution, road accidents and inactivity are factored in, the evidence clearly shows that, of all road users, it is in fact motorists that are the largest financial burden to society. We should be encouraging modal shift away from the private car, not shaming those who don’t drive. – Yours, etc,
Dr CALLUM SWIFT,
(Committee member,
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Irish Doctors for the Environment),
Galway University Hospital.
Sir, – The Road Safety Authority recently launched a campaign called “Lose Your Licence, Lose Your Independence”. The campaign is aimed at young drivers and seeks to support them as they start to drive.
This is undoubtedly an important area, especially given the rise in road deaths across Ireland.
However, in addition to the name, the campaign includes messaging such as “When you lose your licence, you become reliant on other people to take you where you need to go, and you become a burden for others.”
In a time when we urgently need to reduce our reliance on private cars and reduce our transport emissions, coupling driving a car with independence in such a manner, sends a worrisome message. Independence should not rely on driving a car. Not driving a car does not make you a burden.
The RSA should be working to promote independence and health through active and public transport, not the private car.
Messaging like this current campaign has robbed countless children and adults of their freedom because we have designed our public realms and policies around the private car. There are a lot of people in Ireland that for various reasons cannot drive a car. Are they a nuisance? – Yours, etc,
Dr OLA LØKKEN NORDRUM,
Beggars Bush,
Dublin 4.