Southlanders Take Action Against Drunk Driving
25 September 1997
Southlanders Take Action Against Drunk Driving
Recent tragedies raise tough issues like drinking and driving in the
public's consciousness. Drunk driving crashes are not accidents, and
Southlanders are leading the way by taking action.
This weekend, our highways will be safer when auto racing returns to the
Southland thanks to a practical and innovative designated driver program
called the RADD Race Fan Challenge. From San Diego to San Francisco, race
fans will be encouraged to visit the Southland, enjoy themselves, and most
importantly, use designated drivers. Through an innovative use of media and
promotions, fans will be rewarded when they "Designate Before They Celebrate."
RADD, the voice of the entertainment industry on the subject of traffic
safety, along with Budweiser and Championship Auto Racing Teams, Inc. (CART)
will be promoting this important program with the help of professional Indy
car driver, Christian Fittipaldi.
What: Race Fan Challenge
T.V. & Radio Public Service Announcements
Designated Driver Program at Area Bars & Restaurants
Who: Christian Fittipaldi, Budweiser Racing Team
Carl Cohen, Championship Auto Rating Teams, Inc. (CART)
Erin Meluso, Recording Artists, Actors and Athletes Against Drunk
Driving (RADD)
Johnny Furr, Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc.
Mike Bernardi, Anheuser-Busch, Inc. Riverside
When: 9.30 am.
Friday, Sept. 26, 1997
Where: CART Hospitality Tent
The California Speedway
Fontana, California
Press Credentials Must Be Requested In Advance
Please Fax California Speedway: 909-429-5299 (Fax)
CONTACT: RADD 818-752-7799, Pager: 310-636-6657
Partnership Takes Message to the Streets to Prevent Drunk Driving
Media Campaign, Bar Promotions Encourage Fans to `Designate Before You
Celebrate'
CALIFORNIA SPEEDWAY, FONTANA, Calif., Sept. 25 -- Indy cars
come roaring into Southern California along with 200,000 race fans ready to
celebrate the season's finale of CART racing at the Marlboro 500 presented by
Toyota, Sept. 28. Are Southlanders ready for the action? Yes! And RADD
(Recording Artists, Actors, and Athletes Against Drunk Driving), CART
(Championship Auto Racing Teams, Inc.), and Budweiser have teamed up to help
make sure fans have an exciting, but safe race weekend. That means the
winners are no longer just at the speedway!
Using a combination of media and promotion at selected bars and
restaurants, RADD, Budweiser and CART are challenging the Southland community
to "designate before they celebrate" by choosing a designated driver. "Recent
tragedies have forced issues like drunk driving into the public consciousness,
and communities want to know what they can do," explains RADD President Erin
Meluso. "This partnership to promote designated drivers is a great way for
race fans to have fun and stay safe, whether they're heading out to the track
or watching the race at a local bar or friend's house."
To blanket the air waves, Bud Racing team driver Christian Fittipaldi has
recorded a radio public service announcement that has been airing on area
radio stations all week. Fittipaldi notes that everyone can be a member of
the Budweiser racing team by choosing to be a designated driver, and most
importantly, "The designated driver always ends up in Victory Lane."
Area bars and restaurants are supporting this partnership by sponsoring
designated driver programs in which one person in a group volunteers to be the
designated driver by refraining from drinking alcohol beverages and providing
transportation for the rest of the group. The designated driver then receives
free or discounted non-alcohol beverages and hor d'oeuvres. Customers can
look for the Budweiser/RADD designated driver banners at select bars and
restaurants.
More than 85 million American adults have been a designated driver or have
been driven home by one, up 6 percent since 1995, according to a recent study
from Roper Starch Worldwide. Likewise, the study found that 90 percent of
Americans endorse the designated driver concept.
"We want to thank our customers for enjoying our beers responsibly," says
Johnny Furr Jr., group manager of the Consumer Awareness and Education
Department for Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. "And we want to let them know
that our long-standing commitment to help in the fight against drunk driving
continues, and we hope their commitment will, too." Since 1982, drunk driving
fatalities among the general population have declined 36 percent nationwide
and 52 percent in California, according to U.S. Department of Transportation
statistics.
"We're proud to help raise awareness of this important issue and the
powerful role designated drivers can play," concludes CART President and Chief
Executive Officer Andrew Craig. "When it comes to drunk driving, there are no
practice laps."
RADD is a non-profit organization that serves as the voice of the
entertainment industry on the subject of road safety. RADD's 300 celebrity
spokespeople fight drunk driving by advocating the use of designated drivers
and alternate transportation.
Anheuser-Busch, the world's largest brewer, is committed to helping
prevent alcohol abuse, including drunk driving. Working in concert with its
900 wholesalers nationwide, the company offers a variety of community-based
alcohol awareness and education programs that are designed to encourage
responsible drinking among adults who choose to drink.
Championship Auto Racing Teams, Inc., is the sanctioning organization for
the PPG CART World Series, a series of 17 Indy-car races conducted in four
countries. CART events feature drivers such as Michael Andretti, Al Unser
Jr., and Christian Fittipaldi in 850-horsepower cars capable of speeds in
excess of 240 mph.
SOURCE Recording Artists, Actors, and Athletes Against Drunk Driving
