KNOWING the perils of second-hand smoke, appreciating a smoke free environment and detoxing before you drive after a night of drinking are all messages that final year Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) students at CARIMAC are promoting as part of their final year campaigns.

The students have launched four campaigns centred on the social issues of road safety and smoking. They are #Knowsecondhandsmoke, I Love My Smoke Free UWI, Walk Right and #Detoxified.

The #Knowsecondhandsmoke campaign, which has gained popularity on social media sites Facebook and Instagram, is focused on raising awareness of the dangers of second-hand smoke by highlighting seven facts about exposure.

Jennese Palmer, a member of the group, explained that there are no campaigns currently that emphasise awareness of the dangers of second-hand smoking.

“There are no shades of gray when dealing with second-hand smoke. We encourage persons to choose to know about second-hand smoke,” she said.

The campaign has received endorsements from the Heart Foundation of Jamaica and the National Council on Drug Abuse (NCDA).

The I Love My Smoke Free UWI Campaign is being implemented by the UWI Students Against Second-Hand Smoking (U-SASS).

U-SASS representative Ophir Gayle says the aim of their campaign is to support the Tobacco Control Act 2013 that bans smoking in public spaces.

“We encourage students to take the pledge of a smoke free campus and to get educated on what the Tobacco Control Act entails as well as to reduce incidents of second-hand smoke on campus,” Gayle said. The Detoxers (#Detoxified) say that their aim is to reduce the incidents of students drunk driving by at least 10 per cent by May.

“We have decided take a different approach to our campaign. Instead of telling persons not to drink then drive, we are providing an alternative by promoting the method of detoxing. Detox, neutralise before you drive,” said Shaniqueka Allman, a member of the Detoxers group.

The campaign has seen support from Jones Funeral Home, GraceKennedy and the NCDA as well as the Jamaica International Insurance Company (JIIC).

JIIC has made a contribution of $182,000 to the Detoxers campaign to fund detox bars that the group will be stationing at several events on the UWI Campus.

“Walk Right, on the Right”, the message of the Pedestrian Safety Group (PSG) which has received endorsements from the Road Safety Unit and the Jamaica National Foundation, encourages young men to eliminate distractions when walking on the road.

As part of this campaign the PSG has received endorsements from several male student leaders including outgoing Guild President Terron Dewar.

The group announced that the group No-Maddz has agreed to be the official face of their campaign.

“We are glad to have No-Maddz on board with our campaign. The Pedestrian Song, which they performed at the campaign launch, urges pedestrians to exercise due caution on the nation’s roads as the opposite may result in tragedy,” Mark Peterson, PSG campaign manager said.

According to the PSG, males between the ages of 18 -25 are recorded as having the highest road fatalities. They are urging persons to pledge to walk right.

Though the campaigns are primarily concentrated on the students at the University of the West Indies, Mona, Dr Livingston White, course coordinator for IMC, hopes that they can be implemented at the national level.