A Europe-Wide Drink Driving Campaign Is To Go Ahead This Weekend

A Europe-wide project aimed at reducing the number of vehicle collisions caused by young drink drivers is set to take place this weekend (October 19th).

European Night Without Accidents was first launched in Belgium in 1995 and is now an important annual event.

Hundreds of nightclubs across the continent have signed up to raise awareness of the dangers of drink driving and the initiative has drawn support from groups such as Don't Be That Someone, AA Drive Tech and Tune Into Traffic.

Figures published by the Department for Transport highlighted a 25 per cent increase in fatal traffic accidents involving drunk drivers in 2012, accounting for 17 per cent of overall road deaths.

A recent study conducted on behalf of Don't Be That Someone showed nine out of ten British people would get into a car driven by someone who they knew to be under the influence of alcohol.

The organisation hopes the latest European Night Without Accidents will encourage revellers to take drink driving more seriously.

As part of the project, volunteers will greet people as they enter a nightclub and ask them to select a designated driver out of their group. Those who promise to refrain from drinking are given a bracelet.

Motorists will then take a breath test as they leave the establishment to check they are within the legal limit.

Don't Be That Someone has also teamed up with Z-Card PocketMedia, a company that produces handy pocket-sized guides that provide people with easy-to-digest information.

It will produce Z-Cards containing hard-hitting drink driving statistics and Michael McAdam - founder and trustee of Don't Be That Someone - hopes this will help to reinforce the message.

"When on a night out, with everything that's happening, sometimes people forget just how important it is to plan your journey home," he commented.

"That's why we're partnering with Z-Card PocketMedia. Having all the vital information on a Z-Card makes our key messages really stick. It's small enough to keep in your pocket and interactive enough to stay memorable."

Expert Opinion

Through our work, we have seen first-hand the massive consequences that drink driving has on so many lives. <br/> <br/>“Because of this, we would always welcome any initiative which is aimed at raising awareness of the issue and ensuring that road users of all ages always put safety first. <br/> <br/>“Recent research has suggested there remains plenty to do in terms of transforming attitudes to drink driving, so it is vital that this campaign is built upon with further campaigns to robustly tackle this issue.” Stephen Nye - Partner