Cross-market awareness campaign aims to promote responsible behaviors around drink driving in Southeast Asia to help reduce the incidence of road crashes, the #1 killer amongst young adults.
One of the biggest threats facing young adults today is the risk of road crashes and injuries related to alcohol consumption. In the Asia Pacific region, road crashes claim the lives of 2,000 people each day; up to one-third of fatal road collisions involve alcohol as a contributing factor, and those at highest risk are young, dynamic, and promising individuals who are just getting started on building their future.
In Laos, 22 percent of men’s road crash injuries and 32 percent of women’s road crash injuries are related to alcohol[2]. Furthermore, according to the World Health Organization, 50 percent of Laos’ road traffic deaths involve alcohol[3].
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3 aims to halve the number of global deaths and injuries from road crashes by 2030. Now is the time to act. This is why Vientiane Rescue 1623 and RDK Group, with support from the British Embassy in Vientiane, have teamed up with international partners.
Alongside the Asia Pacific International Spirits and Wines Alliance (APISWA), representing global spirits and wine producers, the Automobile Association of Vietnam (AA Vietnam, a member of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile or FIA), and creative agency Orès, the Laos community is rising to the challenge. Together, these organizations have launched Power of No, a digital public awareness campaign to promote responsible behaviors around drink driving. This initiative aims to engage young adults of legal drinking age between 18-30 years old in Laos.
Drink driving is not just a matter of life or death for individuals but has an adverse impact on GDP for developing countries. In Southeast Asia, where rapid motorization has outpaced the development of safe road infrastructure, the region faces the second-highest road crash fatality rate in the world (at 20.7 deaths per 100,000 people), which can generate an economic loss of 3-6% of annual GDP.
The campaign is part of a regional campaign that will be implemented in five other countries: Thailand, Cambodia, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Vietnam. It aims to reach 10 million young adults of legal drinking age across six countries to educate them on the serious dangers of drink driving, help them make better-informed choices, and inspire them to pave the path towards a more responsible drinking culture within their local communities.
The Power of No campaign is being led regionally by the Asia Pacific International Spirits and Wines Alliance (APISWA), representing global spirits and wine producers, the Automobile Association of Vietnam (AA Vietnam, a member of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile or FIA), creative agency Orès, with support from the US-ASEAN Business Council (USABC) and the EU-ASEAN Business Council (EUABC).
This March, Power of No will be released on social media to redefine ‘no’ for young people and help them discover the power that they have in influencing norms on drinking and driving. The first phase of the campaign will be a six-week run of teaser videos, commercials, and other educational content materials on the campaign’s Facebook pages in each country. The goal in later phases of the campaign will be to measure its impact on behavior change.
“Since we started to provide free assistance to road traffic victims in 2010, our team have seen a dramatic increase in road traffic accident-related injuries & deaths,” said Sebastien Perret, founder of Vientiane Rescue 1623. “Most of these accidents usually follow the same scenario: at night, a drunk motorbike driver driving at high speed, without a helmet, missing a curve and hitting a house or an electrical pole. Being involved as the first responders on the road to care compassionately of the road crash victims is today not enough anymore. We want to help bring the numbers down.”
“We are very excited to be partnering with AA Vietnam, Orès and all supporting partners on this campaign, as part of APISWA’s commitment to helping to reduce alcohol-related road crashes amongst young adults,” said Sam Fischer, President, Asia Pacific & Global Travel for Diageo and current Chairman of APISWA. “We have worked closely and extensively with the authorities in some of the target markets to address drink driving, and this campaign further amplifies the programs and efforts we are making as a group and as individual member companies. We believe road safety is a shared responsibility, and the government, civil society, and the private sector must all work together to address this challenge,” he added.
“Drink driving is deeply interconnected with a country’s success for other social indicators,” explained Greig Craft, President of AA Vietnam and President of FIA Region II – Asia Pacific. “This generation of young adults has massive potential to shape the cultural behaviors that could make our roads safer, and we are proud to take part in this campaign to help inspire that change within local communities across the Asia Pacific.”
To learn more about Power of No, visit the campaign’s Facebook page or website.
About Vientiane Rescue 1623
Vientiane Rescue 1623 is the first and only ambulance, fire & rescue service in Laos. They started in 2010 with a handful of volunteers in Vientiane, and now cover 4 cities in 4 provinces with more than 600 volunteers working days & night, for free, offering their hand in the most tragic of times. They have received several awards worldwide, from the President of France in Paris in 2016 as well as the “Asia Nobel Prize” Ramon Magsaysay in the Philippines. This last award “recognizes its heroic work in saving Laotian lives in a time and place of great need, under the most deprived of circumstances, inspiring by their passionate humanitarianism a similar generosity of spirit in many others.”
About RDK Group
RDK Group is a full-service agency generating media publicity and creating a digital presence for products, brands, and businesses. Specializing in social media, RDK provides strategies and operates campaigns to ensure content is delivered to the right audience. Powered by young talent and led by industry professionals with years of experience in media, events, and the digital sphere, the RDK Group team remains at the forefront of any platform.
About Asia Pacific International Spirits and Wines Alliance (APISWA)
The Asia Pacific International Spirits and Wines Alliance (APISWA) consists of 11 global spirits and wine producers operating across the Asia-Pacific region, including: Bacardi, Beam Suntory, Brown Forman, Campari, Diageo, Edrington, Moët Hennessy, Pernod Ricard, Proximo, Remy Cointreau and William Grant & Sons. APISWA aims to foster an environment where legal spirits and wine can be enjoyed responsibly, and which supports a vibrant, sustainable and responsible hospitality and tourism industry. Further, APISWA aims to secure a sustainable and competitive business environment for our members. APISWA is focused on protecting the interests and safety of consumers and on ensuring that alcohol is enjoyed in moderation, in ways that are appropriate to the local context and in line with international best practice. For more information, please visit: https://apiswa.org/.
About Automobile Association of Vietnam (AA Vietnam)
AA Vietnam was founded in 2017 as a leading membership organization that aims to provide a wide range of products and offerings with international quality standards for Vietnam’s road users. AAV services include professional roadside assistance (such as car towing service); insurance policies; travel packages; lifestyle discounts; and road safety advocacy in Vietnam and overseas. With the increasing numbers of automobiles on the road – 13% growth per year – AA Vietnam envisions itself as a quality service provider that ensures the safety and comfort of passengers on the road. In collaboration with the National Traffic Safety Committee, the AAV is well positioned to advance road safety initiatives. In 2018, the AAV collaborated with the FIA to launch the #3500Lives campaign to raise awareness on safe driving practices as 3,500 people are killed on the world’s roads every day. AA Vietnam is a member of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), and holds leadership roles in FIA’s Asia-Pacific regional projects on advocacy and community safety. For more information, please visit: http://www.aavn.vn/.
