AT the beginning of 2016, the Barbados Road Safety Association launched the ‘Who Will Be Driving You Home Tonight?’ campaign to lobby for drink driving and breathalyser testing legislation in order to help reduce accidents on this nation’s roads.
This year, it will also be hard at work promoting the use of designated drivers.
Speaking on the dangers presented to road users by individuals who drink alcohol at the various parties, fetes and bars around the island and then make the unwise decision to get behind the wheel, President of the Association Sharmane Roland-Bowen insisted that now was the time to put an end to this type of behaviour by encouraging persons to assign designated drivers that will get them home safely.
To ensure that the driver in a group of partying friends remained completely sober, she said that her organisation would be approaching various bars and promoters of events to urge them to provide incentives for these individuals, including through offering free soft drinks.
“We want to be looking at this seriously in 2017 where we get bars especially to come together under a programme to encourage this and this will be a major focus for us,” she said.
Reminding persons that one alcoholic drink can impair judgement, and affect vision and response time, she said persons must abstain from drinking if they are getting behind the wheel of a vehicle.
Roland-Bowen also outlined the association’s intent to continue to lobby for breathalyser testing to be placed on the statute books, insisting that persons must face penalties for putting not only themselves but other road users at risk.
Last year, there was a recorded reduction in the number of road fatalities with 10 persons losing their lives, compared to 22 in 2015, 14 in 2014 and 18 in 2013.
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