Drug driving is a road safety issue in New Zealand with drugs present in nearly a third of all fatal crashes on our roads. This is when a driver in a crash where people died, was found to have drugs in their blood.
The most frequently found drugs in road deaths and serious injuries are cannabis and methamphetamine.
There is not widespread awareness about the issue of drug driving in Aotearoa and many New Zealanders don’t believe drug drivers will get caught.
This campaign seeks to target a broad audience of New Zealanders over 18-years-old.
The purpose of this campaign is to raise awareness that drug driving is causing harm on our roads and to discourage people from driving after taking drugs. It does this by illustrating the serious consequences of drug driving, harm to yourself or others.
Find out more about how drugs can affect your ability to drive safely
The campaign will launch on Sunday 23 February 2025, with advertising running across TV, cinema, online video, outdoor (billboards and street posters), social media and website channels. The initial burst of advertising is 5 weeks. The campaign will run again over the course of the year.
This new campaign is a part of the wider National Road Safety Promotion Programme, which includes public information campaigns and education initiatives that support NZ Police enforcement, address high-risk road safety behaviours, and help at-risk groups that contribute disproportionately to deaths and serious injuries on New Zealand’s roads. The cost to produce the campaign is $840,000. This includes producing advertising for TV, cinema, outdoor, social media and website channels.
Here you can view the marketing materials such as online videos, posters, billboards, and social media.
