BRSC To Distribute Designated Driver Buttons
Bermuda Road Safety Council [BRSC] Chairman, Dennis Lister III will host a second event at 1.30pm on Friday [Dec 14] outside of City Hall to distribute Designated Driver [D/D] buttons.
Mr Lister hosted the first of two D/D pop-ups last Friday, 7 December following a press conference on Wednesday, 5 December where he urged members of the public to consider participating in a new BRSC campaign to combat drink driving this holiday season.
Mr Lister said, “The Bermuda Road Safety Council is endorsing the Designated Driver campaign by partnering with restaurants, bars and other venues to welcome any recognized D/D when they enter the premises.
“The Designated Driver will be guaranteed at least one free non-alcoholic beverage at that venue. How will they know who the D/D is? They will be wearing a button on their chest to let people know.”
He also encouraged Designated Drivers to keep a log of how many times they act as the D/D to be eligible for a special prize, provided by the BRSC, at the end of the year.
Mr Lister [center] with members of the public holding Designated Driver buttons
In announcing the initiative earlier this month, Mr Lister said, “December is our “Don’t Drive Impaired Month” and we are emphasizing having a Designated Driver. We are proud to announce this as two fold measure, to keep our roads safe while also being able to enjoy yourself.
“In recent months we have seen the implementation of Roadside Sobriety checkpoints, while these have been very positive, they have also had a knock on effect in other areas. We have heard complaints from restaurants and bars that they have a seen a decline in patrons as a result of this, people are choosing to stay home instead of going out to socialize.
“We applaud this change in behavior, but we also don’t want to hurt venues that rely on the public for business. We have heard the cry and we know the dangers of drunk driving, so we introduce our Designated Driver Campaign.
“We want to encourage the public to go out and have fun but plan a safe way home. Plan to go out with a friend or more but chose a designated driver before you leave home.
“There are options of a taxi, calling someone who is reliable and may not be out and utilizing Home Safe. The BRSC is endorsing the Designated Driver campaign by looking to partner with restaurants, bars and other venues, to welcome any recognized D/D when they enter their premises.
“The Designated Driver will be guaranteed at least 1 free non-alcoholic beverage at that venue. How will they know who the D/D is? They will be wearing a button on there chest to let people know they are the D/D.”
We had a campaign where Bars used to provide designated drivers with free drinks (non-alcoholic of course!). Worked a treat!
What happened to Hitch? I thought that was the Bermuda version to Uber? How are the drivers protected from drunk behavior?
This is a joke. I am a DD quite often and I refuse to wear a badge. Come on Road Safety Council, CADA and PLP, you can do better than this. The Taxi service is a shame. Start making it mandatory that taxis are on the road at least 16hours a day and if they themselves don’t want to be on that long then they hire someone to drive their taxi. This will provide jobs as well as more taxis for people so they don’t drive home drunk. And if the taxi service doesn’t want to step up, then get UBER here.
Could people maybe give getting drunk a break or is it that addictive that you have to indulge? Why are taxis responsible for irresponsible people, the bars should supply transport, or a drunk-tank.
Or…don’t get drunk, that would solve many problems in society.
More wasted wind. No action.
Or… don’t get drunk, that would solve many problems in society.