Road Safety Authority Spends €30m on Media Contracts

The Road Safety Authority has disbursed approximately €30 million to external vendors for advertising and public relations services over the past four years. These figures were disclosed in response to a parliamentary question regarding the agency's communications expenditures from 2023 to the current date in 2026.

The largest portion of this spending, roughly €21 million, was directed to contractor Spark Foundry. This firm handled strategic media planning and the purchase of all advertising placements. According to the agency, this contract funded between ten and twelve television-led campaigns each year, alongside secondary efforts on social media, radio, and out-of-home displays. The RSA stated that the arrangement allowed it to access discounted rates unavailable through other channels.

An additional €7 million was paid to creative agency Forsman & Bodenfors. This sum covered the strategic development of advertising campaigns, brand identity work, graphic design, and digital content creation. The contract also included pre-campaign research and the management of usage rights for awareness materials.

Public relations firm Drury received approximately €1.5 million over the same period. Its services included media relations, crisis communications, social media support, and event management. The scope of work extended to the organization of the agency's annual international conference, media training, and the preparation of speaking notes for officials.

Social Democrats transport spokesman Aidan Farrelly described the total expenditure as astonishing. He noted that the RSA is an outlier compared to other state bodies regarding communications spending. Farrelly has requested that the agency appear before the Dáil's Committee of Public Accounts. He plans to question members of the committee on recent financial statements and whether service providers influenced the now-defunct plan to install breathalysers in pubs.

The RSA stated that annual work programmes are agreed upon with each communications agency. While specific topics vary, the nature of the services remains consistent. The costs include contractor fees and third-party expenses such as production houses and venue hire. All suppliers were appointed through frameworks established by the Office of Government Procurement. The agency added that media expenditure undergoes independent annual audit and that campaign performance reviews inform future communications activity.