To mark the first European Road Safety Day (Friday 27^th April), MEAS, the alcohol social responsibility organisation, has urged wider adoption of the “designated driver” system to help reduce the level of deaths on our roads.

The CEO of MEAS, Ms. Fionnuala Sheehan, said “Our message is simple. Before heading out, whether it is to the pub, or to a friend’s house, everyone should plan how to get home safely. A simple, practical way is to designate one person as the non-drinking driver. And the job of the Designated Driver is to bring friends or neighbours home safely. This system is particularly relevant and useful in areas where public transport options are limited or non existent”.  

Ms. Sheehan added “male drivers under 25 and over 50, and pedestrians in rural areas at night are especially vulnerable. I would encourage people to plan before they go out how they will get home; to think about neighbours living alone and take turns being the designated driver. A little planning before you go out socialising can not only avoid hassle trying to get home, but can save lives”.

This inaugural European Road Safety Day is part of the first global road safety week (23rd April – 29th April) organised by the United Nations and the World Health Organisation, and is an ambitious project to save 25,000 lives on Europe’s roads.

The commitment of MEAS to road safety has been recognised by the European Commission under the European Road Safety Charter, and the organisation is now a signatory to this Charter.

The MEAS website, drinkaware.ie has a dedicated page on Getting Home Safely providing useful advice as well as links to urban and rural rail timetables, including nightrider services, plus a full list of taxi ranks in Dublin, Limerick and Galway.

drinkaware.ie was launched in November 2006 and was accompanied by a national advertising campaign carrying the line 'know the one that's one too many'. The drinkaware.ie website has emerged as the leading information portal for consumers on alcohol and drinking.

Notes

1.    European Road Safety Day is part of the first United Nations Global Road Safety Week (23^rd – 29^th April), during which hundreds of Road Safety initiatives – local, national, regional and global – will take place around the world.

2.     Click here to view the MEAS' Designated Driver research.

3.    Research carried out by Health Services Executive based on Road Deaths in Ireland in 2003 showed that pedestrians with positive blood alcohol levels were 8 times more likely to be killed between 10pm on Friday night to 8am on Monday morning than during the rest of the week.