Two influencers to hand back RSA sponsorship fees after wearing seatbelt incorrectly

Two social influencers will have to return the money they were paid by the Road Safety Authority (RSA) for safe driving campaigns after they were seen wearing their seatbelts incorrectly.

The RSA's Killer Look campaign sought to highlight the danger to motorists and passengers of wearing a seatbelt under their arms instead of across the chest and over the shoulder. A survey carried out last year found that one in four Irish women between 17 and 34 wear their seatbelt under their arms. Nine per cent said they did this to protect their tan while seven per cent it was to protect clothing. To publicise the campaign, the RSA paid ten Irish social influencers to create sponsored content around seatbelt safety on social media back in February of 2017, reports The Journal. However, it received a number of complaints from the public after several influencers were seen wearing their belts incorrectly on social media. The RSA said it had also had complaints from the public about social influencers using their phones while driving. The authority spent €26,138 on the sponsorship, spread between the ten, but now two them have been asked to hand back their chunk of the fee. The RSA has asked that they either donate the money to charity or return it. It also wants an apology from the individuals. "We are not just an ordinary commercial brand selling a product," a spokesperson for the RSA said. "We are a State agency and invest in not-for-profit marketing trying to promote a health issue."