Drink driving is a widespread and widely recognized problem – it is responsible for a large percentage of traffic deaths each year. Two students in the Czech Republic wanted to do their part to put an end to it.
The ideas
Two students from SŠA Jihlava School in the Czech Republic saw how many problems were caused by unsafe behavior on the road. It can result in injuries, cost money – and worst of all, it can sometimes cost lives! They decided to do something to build a culture of road safety in their school and encourage their peers to adopt responsible habits.
They began to think about what messages they would like to get across to other young people. There were many possibilities…how to avoid traffic accidents, keeping young children safe as pedestrians and passengers, safe cycling, controlling speed to reduce accidents, and many more. But they finally chose one that is of special importance for teens, who are new to driving – and to drinking alcohol.
With so many traffic deaths each year due to drink driving – and many of them teens - the students had found their topic. They set out to change the mindsets of young people who think getting behind the wheel after a drink is no big deal.
The initiatives
Now that the students had found their message, they needed to choose the medium that would best communicate it. They considered different factors, like which mediums their classmates would find most interesting, and whether they wanted to communicate in a way that was purely educational or also entertaining.
After discussing the different options, they decided that they wanted to make two comic strips. The first one would show what kind of disasters can happen when you drive a car after drinking alcohol. The second one would show them tips and behavior to help them avoid ending up that way by not drinking and driving.
