More than 180 licensed premises in Co Galway have signed up for the Coca-Cola Designated Driver Christmas Campaign.
The company has hailed this “record participation” as “extremely encouraging”.
The Designated Driver Campaign involves Coca-Cola Bottlers Ireland making a range of non-alcoholic beverages available free to designated drivers. These include Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Sprite, Sprite Zero, Fanta, as well as Deep RiverRock and Fruice.
The initiative, which runs throughout this month, aims to decrease the number of deaths on Irish roads while rewarding responsible customers for being the designated driver for the evening. It is open to all designated drivers who will drive friends and family home from a night out over the festive period.
Erica Roseingrave, public affairs and communications manager, Coca-Cola Bottlers Ireland says the increase in participating premises is extremely encouraging. A full list of participating licensed premises is available on www.designateddriver.ie “We are delighted with the take-up this year. We encourage all designated drivers to avail of the free soft drinks and be rewarded for making the responsible choice this Christmas.”
She says participating in the Designated Driver Christmas Campaign allows publicans to incentivise customers to continue to visit licensed premises and encourages drivers to take a responsible approach to the issue of drinking and driving - a win-win situation for all.
The Designated Driver campaign was launched in 2004 and since then has gone from strength to strength.
The campaign has the support of key organisations including Mature Enjoyment of Alcohol in Society and An Garda Siochana.
