THE ‘POWER OF NO’: AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION OF VIETNAM AND FIA REGION II RAISE AWARENESS ON DRINK DRIVING

Released on social media in March by the Automobile Association of Vietnam (AA Vietnam), the ‘Power of No’ is a public awareness campaign targeting young adults aged 18-30 in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam. This digital campaign aims to save lives of vulnerable populations across the ASEAN region, change cultural norms around drink driving, and normalise responsible drinking practices for young road users.

In the Asia Pacific region, 2,000 people die in road crashes every 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^[1]. In Vietnam, 32 percent of men’s road crash injuries and 20 percent of women’s road crash injuries are related to alcohol^[2]. Furthermore, according to the World Health Organization, 34 percent of Vietnam’s road traffic deaths involve alcohol^[3].

The ‘Power of No’ campaign is led by FIA Member Club AA Vietnam in partnership with the Asia Pacific International Spirits and Wines Alliance (APISWA), representing global spirits and wine producers. It is supported by two other FIA Region II Clubs: the Automobile Association of Cambodia (AAC) and the Automobile Association Philippines (AAP).

The first phase of the ‘Power of No’ 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. In later phases of the campaign, the goal will be to measure its impact on behaviour change.

“Drink driving is deeply interconnected with a country’s success for other social indicators,” explained AA Vietnam President and FIA Region II President Greig Craft. “This generation of young adults has massive potential to shape the cultural behaviours that could make our roads safer. 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 the ‘Power of No’ campaign, visit the campaign’s Facebook page or website.