Road safety groups add support to festive drink-driving campaign
Leading road safety groups have added their support to a returning festive drink-driving campaign.
Road Safety GB and Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) are backing ‘The Only One for the Road’ campaign, which encourages drivers not to risk even one alcoholic drink if they are driving.
The campaign is once again being spearheaded by Shropshire-based premium water brand Wenlock Spring in conjunction with West Mercia Police, and is returning this Christmas following a successful launch last year.
By promoting low- and no-alcohol options, the campaign aims to keep roads safer during the festive celebrations.
Bill Smith, Communications Director for the charity Road Safety GB, said: “The latest drink-driving statistics for Great Britain show that more than 6,700 people were killed or injured as result of drink-drive collisions.
“Raising awareness of the issue of drink-driving and of the lives it ruins involves a concerted effort by all and not just those that are actively involved day-to-day in road safety.
“Therefore, it’s greatly encouraging that Wenlock Spring dedicates resources to addressing this issue through The Only One for the Road campaign. This is a great initiative which encourages drivers to act responsibly while enjoying the festive season.”
Caitlin Taylor, RoSPA’s Road Safety Manager for England, said: “Too often, people assume an incident won’t happen to them - until it does. But the reality is, even one drink can impair your judgment and reaction time, putting yourself and others at serious risk.
“At RoSPA, we want everyone to get home safely to their loved ones this Christmas.
“Let’s make sure we all make the safe choice and keep our roads safe for everyone this season. Do not consume any alcohol, and drive.”
This year, Wenlock Spring is once again joining forces with West Mercia Police to launch its highly-visible campaign.
With freshly-liveried delivery vans making the point clear, it has also printed thousands of beer mats, posters and tent cards which carry the sobering message for drivers and are available for hospitality businesses to use.
Matthew Orme, director at Wenlock Spring, said: “We were delighted with the support the campaign received last year and hope we have helped change a lot of people’s attitudes, especially as there is such an incredible choice of low/no products available in addition to Wenlock Spring.
“Working alongside pubs, restaurants and other hospitality venues will once again be a crucial part of our campaign this year.
“We’re thrilled that some of the biggest names in the hospitality sector have already got behind it this year, and we urge as many as possible to join them.
“We want them to encourage their customers to enjoy their time out in venues this Christmas, but to choose one of the many alcohol-free alternatives if they are driving.”
This year’s campaign officially launched at The Bod cafe bar in Newport, which is run by Titanic Brewery, and saw cases of water being unloaded by Santa himself from one of Wenlock Spring’s newly-liveried vans.
Over the past three years across Shropshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire, there have been 25 fatalities and 167 serious injuries on the roads where alcohol has been a contributory factor.
An additional 11 fatalities and 68 serious injuries have occurred involving drugs.
Police also arrested 266 people during December last year for being over the limit whilst behind the wheel.
