Business in the Community Northern Ireland (BITC) has won the Communications category in the 2025 TyreSafe Awards for its ‘Responsible Driving and the Fatal Five’ campaign. This award is in recognition of BITC’s efforts in raising awareness, engaging communities, and driving behavioural change around road safety and tyre maintenance.
The TyreSafe Awards recognise excellence across enforcement, innovation, education, community engagement, and industry leadership in tyre safety. BITC’s campaign was singled out for achieving more than two million impressions through partnerships and storytelling, ensuring that the critical messages about safe driving reach a wide audience.
The Responsible Driving and the Fatal Five campaign was launched in 2024 and made possible by funding from the Road Safety Trust. It has been developed and delivered in partnership with the Police Service of Northern Ireland and U105. It includes a digital platform designed for employers to educate and support employees who drive – whether for work or commuting. It highlights the key fatal behaviours known as the Fatal Five, namely:
- Don’t Drink or Take Drugs
- Slow Down
- Don’t Get Careless
- Belt Up
- Stay off your Phone
Intending to reduce road deaths in Northern Ireland, the campaign seeks to engage 300 people from 30 different companies between autumn 2024 and mid-2026. It complements existing road safety efforts by other partners, including law enforcement, government agencies, and the third sector.
Ruth Purdie OBE, Chief Executive of The Road Safety Trust, said: “BITC NI has done a terrific job of reaching out to communities, through employers, to thousands of employees who drive in Northern Ireland, who might otherwise not appreciate the importance of responsible driving or the road safety dangers relating to the ‘Fatal Five’.
“The TyreSafe award is a testament to this excellent initiative that continues to raise awareness and save lives, and I congratulate everyone who has been involved in it.”
Chief Superintendent Sam Donaldson said: “The Police Service of Northern Ireland fully supports this life-saving campaign which has helped raise awareness around road safety. Effective messaging of the five fatal things to avoid when behind the wheel can ultimately save lives and reduce the number of serious and fatal collisions on our roads. We all have a shared responsibility to help keep each other safe.
“This award is a well-deserved recognition of the positive impact the ‘Responsible Driving and the Fatal Five’ campaign has made on our communities, and we offer many congratulations to Business in the Community Northern Ireland (BITC NI). The Police Service is proud to have supported their efforts to help keep our roads safer.”
Helen Bowman, Head of Communications, Business in the Community Northern Ireland added: “We are delighted that our Responsible Driving and the Fatal Five campaign has been recognised by TyreSafe UK. The Communications award reflects the hard work of our team, our corporate partners, and the wider community as we strive to change attitudes, inform safe behaviour, and ultimately save lives. Driving responsibly isn’t just about tyre tread or correct inflation, it’s about recognising the human cost of every decision we make behind the wheel, and we hope this award helps shine a spotlight on that message.”
Businesses across Northern Ireland can still be involved in 2025/’26. To sign up, please visit www.bitcni.org.uk/responsible-driving