Irish road safety advert labeled as “ableist” for saying people who don’t drive are a “burden for others”

Disability campaigners and politicians have criticised the abalist aspect of a new Road Safety Authority advertising campaign which promotes the idea that that people who cannot drive are a “burden for others”.

The campaign video includes a mocking gag about a young man getting a lift with his friend, a date, and their mother.

As IrishCycle.com reported yesterday, there was already quite a strong general reaction from politicians, sustainable transport and road safety campaigners against the new advert in the “Lose Your Licence, Lose Your Independence” campaign.

Niamh Ní Hoireabhaird, a journalist and disability campaigner, said: “I often feel like a burden because I am forced to rely on my mam and dad to give me lifts. It feels great to have this ableist notion repeated back at me by a government-affiliated organisation. Very validating.”

Access for All Ireland said: “We were waiting yesterday before we commented on this campaign as we were so taken aback by it. It’s really outrageous. Would any other minority in Irish society be portrayed as a burden?”

They said: “As people with disabilities and carers we don’t find those who need to be privately transported due to bad infrastructure and the lack of accessible inclusive public transport a “burden”.

Access for All added: “In a lot of cases it’s a families only option the @RSAIreland should be mindful of that when using ableist imagery and language in a national campaign. We would like to hear a response in relation to this please.”

Neasa Hourigan, a Dublin-based TD who has a disabled child, said: “Disband the @RSAIreland. Not even a major reform can save it. This is the worst kind of ableist, offensive, car brain nonsense they’ve ever produced. Money was spent on this ad. People who cannot or do not drive are not a burden. Delete this tweet and delete the @RSAIreland”

IrishCycle.com this morning has asked the RSA if it can admit that this campaign and advert has missed the mark or if they got it wrong but the semi- autonomous State agency did not respond to the request for comment

At the time of publication of this article, the RSA also did not confirm what percentage of the extra funding for road safety advertising/campaigns it received from the Department of Transport has been allocated to this campaign.

Since IrishCycle.com asked the questions, thejournal.ie published an article where a response from the RSA was given.

The RSA was quoted by the website as stating: “Participants in the focus groups admitted that being forced to ask for lifts from friends and relatives due to a driving ban was something they dreaded. They perceived their licence as being the key to their independence and they indicated that the prospective loss of their licence could fundamentally shift their driving behaviours.”

The RSA added: “As such, the campaign focuses on their perception of the consequences of losing their licence. It aims to show young male drivers what it is like to become a burden to others, and to encourage safe and responsible behaviours on the road. It highlights the message of an automatic disqualification if caught driving under the influence of drink or drugs”.

Midlands 103FM also reported today that Sarah O’Connor of the RSA claimed young men told them they wouldn’t be independent if they lost their licence.

According to the RSA’s own website, medical reasons for not being able to drive are wide-ranging, including having epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, any condition affecting your peripheral vision, a total loss of sight in one eye, diabetes treated by insulin and or sulphonylurea tables, and sleeping and other disorders resulting in blacking out or sleeping uncontrollably.