Designated driver
Encyclopedia
The terms "designated driver" and "designated driving" refer to selecting a person to remain sober, as the driver of a vehicle, while others are allowed to drink to excess (with alcoholic beverage
s). A designated driver is a person who abstains from alcohol on a social occasion in order to drive his/her companions home safely. It is intended as a safe alternative to driving under the influence
. In order to encourage these arrangements, some bar, restaurant and nightclub proprietors will offer free non-alcoholic drinks to designated drivers.
over several decades beginning in the 1920s, leading to a formalized designated driver program in the 1980s.
The concept was imported to the United States on a large scale in 1988 through the Harvard Alcohol Project, an initiative by the Harvard School of Public Health's Center for Health Communication, led by Jay Winsten
. With heavy involvement by television networks and Hollywood studios, the campaign popularized the concept through public service announcement
s, as well as the encouragement of drunk driving prevention messages and designated driver references in popular television programs, such as Cheers
, L.A. Law
, and The Cosby Show
. The U.S. Department of Transportation
used public affairs commercials with the phrase "friends don't let friends drive drunk".
President Bill Clinton
participated in the designated driver campaign throughout his presidency, taping public service announcements each year at the request of the Harvard Alcohol Project. With the endorsement of a broad range of individuals and organizations, designated driving became a national movement, with "designated driver" becoming a common phrase. Based on several polls indicating an increase in designated driving practices since the start of the initiative, the campaign is credited as a contributing factor to the decline in alcohol-related traffic fatalities between 1988 and 1994.
In 1995, Belgium
launched the Bob campaign
, a drunk driving prevention program centered around the designated driver approach. The Bob campaign has since been adapted by the Netherlands and Greece.
In Brazil
, since 2005, the spirits company called Diageo
is using this concept to spread the message of not Drinking and Drive. Called Piloto da Vez, the program was born with the sponsorship of McLaren firmed on that year. Since than, Montoya, Mika Häkkinen and Lewis Hamilton participated in the program.
/San Diego border found that by asking groups intent on drinking to identify the designated driver prior to entering the bar district, the driver later returned with substantially lower BACs compared with the control groups.
in Fort Collins, Colorado
, CARPOOL at Texas A&M University
in College Station, Texas
, or Drive Safe Kalamazoo, at Western Michigan University and BUSY at Gulfport High School in Gulfport, Mississippi
offer to give free rides home on weekend
nights to fellow students. The HERO Campaign is a non-profit that promotes designated driving through partnerships with bars, restaurants, stadiums and colleges in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware.
Numerous businesses have sprouted up across the United States to help address the problem of drinking and driving. Some transport their drivers home, as passengers, using one of three methods: car, collapsible scooter, or foldable bike. These are not necessarily true designated driver programs, but instead Safe Ride programs, as the sober driver is not designated from within the natural drinking group. Designated Drivers, Inc, was founded in 1998 and later based out of Las Vegas, NV. This company has used two person teams: one person to drive the impaired individual in their own vehicle, and the other person as the follow driver. Pittsburgh's Pear Transportation Company, aka The Pear Cares, has also become well known for using the two-person team approach. NightRiders, Incorporated
was the first company to use collapsible, motorized scooters in the US. The drivers drove customers home using their own vehicles, stowing a scooter in the customer's trunk (or truck). Upon arrival to the customer's destination, the driver parked the vehicle, collected the fare, assembled the scooter from the vehicle, and rode off to the next customer. This company is now out of business, according to their website. Zingo Transportation
has operated this kind of service in southern US cities since 2005. Drivers Incorporated, of Washington DC, has used foldable bicycles for the last mile of transportation, to and from public transportation.
Australia
Designated driver services in Australia exist in many capital cities and regional towns. The service is in high demand due to highly regulated, unreliable taxi services . Perth Designated Drivers are a new service operating in Perth. In Queensland, Co Drivers operate from the Sunshine Coast and One Way Driver operate from the Gold Coast. Safe Drivers, Driven Indulgence and My Driver operate out of Melbourne. Scooter Angels operate out of Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne and Dial-A-Driver operate in Sydney and Adelaide.
A nationally award-winning designated driver program called Who's DES Tonight? operates out of the Burnie City Council in Tasmania
. This program is supported by Recording Artists, Actors and Athletes Against Drink Driving (RADD) Australia.
Alcoholic beverage
An alcoholic beverage is a drink containing ethanol, commonly known as alcohol. Alcoholic beverages are divided into three general classes: beers, wines, and spirits. They are legally consumed in most countries, and over 100 countries have laws regulating their production, sale, and consumption...
s). A designated driver is a person who abstains from alcohol on a social occasion in order to drive his/her companions home safely. It is intended as a safe alternative to driving under the influence
Driving under the influence
Driving under the influence is the act of driving a motor vehicle with blood levels of alcohol in excess of a legal limit...
. In order to encourage these arrangements, some bar, restaurant and nightclub proprietors will offer free non-alcoholic drinks to designated drivers.
History
The designated driver concept was developed in ScandinaviaScandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
over several decades beginning in the 1920s, leading to a formalized designated driver program in the 1980s.
The concept was imported to the United States on a large scale in 1988 through the Harvard Alcohol Project, an initiative by the Harvard School of Public Health's Center for Health Communication, led by Jay Winsten
Jay Winsten
Jay Winsten is an associate dean at the Harvard School of Public Health and the Frank Stanton Director of the School's . He is best known for his work in social marketing, spearheading high-profile national social campaigns on designated driving, youth violence, and youth mentoring...
. With heavy involvement by television networks and Hollywood studios, the campaign popularized the concept through public service announcement
Public service announcement
A public service announcement or public service ad is a type of advertisement featured on television, radio, print or other media...
s, as well as the encouragement of drunk driving prevention messages and designated driver references in popular television programs, such as Cheers
Cheers
Cheers is an American situation comedy television series that ran for 11 seasons from 1982 to 1993. It was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions, in association with Paramount Network Television for NBC, and was created by the team of James Burrows, Glen Charles, and Les Charles...
, L.A. Law
L.A. Law
L.A. Law is a US television legal drama that ran on NBC from September 15, 1986 to May 19, 1994. L.A. Law reflected the social and cultural ideologies of the 1980s and early 1990s and many of the cases featured on the show dealt with hot topic issues such as abortion, racism, gay rights,...
, and The Cosby Show
The Cosby Show
The Cosby Show is an American television situation comedy starring Bill Cosby, which aired for eight seasons on NBC from September 20, 1984 until April 30, 1992...
. The U.S. Department of Transportation
Department of Transportation
The Department of Transportation is the most common name for a government agency in North America devoted to transportation. The largest is the United States Department of Transportation, which oversees interstate travel. All U.S. states, Canadian provinces, and many local agencies also have...
used public affairs commercials with the phrase "friends don't let friends drive drunk".
President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
participated in the designated driver campaign throughout his presidency, taping public service announcements each year at the request of the Harvard Alcohol Project. With the endorsement of a broad range of individuals and organizations, designated driving became a national movement, with "designated driver" becoming a common phrase. Based on several polls indicating an increase in designated driving practices since the start of the initiative, the campaign is credited as a contributing factor to the decline in alcohol-related traffic fatalities between 1988 and 1994.
In 1995, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
launched the Bob campaign
Bob campaign
The Bob campaign aims to raise awareness of the dangers of driving while intoxicated; drivers with high blood alcohol content are at increased risk of car accidents, highway injuries and vehicular deaths. Alongside the general information that is offered during the campaign, there is an increased...
, a drunk driving prevention program centered around the designated driver approach. The Bob campaign has since been adapted by the Netherlands and Greece.
In Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, since 2005, the spirits company called Diageo
Diageo
Diageo plc is a global alcoholic beverages company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest producer of spirits and a major producer of beer and wine....
is using this concept to spread the message of not Drinking and Drive. Called Piloto da Vez, the program was born with the sponsorship of McLaren firmed on that year. Since than, Montoya, Mika Häkkinen and Lewis Hamilton participated in the program.
Impediments
Though designated drivers are popular, groups often fail to use them properly. Often there is a failure of those groups to designate the driver prior to making travel arrangements and arrive in separate vehicles. Even when a group does share a vehicle, it is not always the case that the designated driver remains sober. Failures to require driver abstinence or limitation of consumption is another problem. One study conducted at the TijuanaTijuana
Tijuana is the largest city on the Baja California Peninsula and center of the Tijuana metropolitan area, part of the international San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan area. An industrial and financial center of Mexico, Tijuana exerts a strong influence on economics, education, culture, art, and politics...
/San Diego border found that by asking groups intent on drinking to identify the designated driver prior to entering the bar district, the driver later returned with substantially lower BACs compared with the control groups.
Advocacy groups
Various college and high school organizations, such as RamRide at Colorado State UniversityColorado State University
Colorado State University is a public research university located in Fort Collins, Colorado. The university is the state's land grant university, and the flagship university of the Colorado State University System.The enrollment is approximately 29,932 students, including resident and...
in Fort Collins, Colorado
Fort Collins, Colorado
Fort Collins is a Home Rule Municipality situated on the Cache La Poudre River along the Colorado Front Range, and is the county seat and most populous city of Larimer County, Colorado, United States. Fort Collins is located north of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. With a 2010 census...
, CARPOOL at Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
in College Station, Texas
College Station, Texas
College Station is a city in Brazos County, Texas, situated in East Central Texas in the heart of the Brazos Valley. The city is located within the most populated region of Texas, near three of the 10 largest cities in the United States - Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio...
, or Drive Safe Kalamazoo, at Western Michigan University and BUSY at Gulfport High School in Gulfport, Mississippi
Gulfport, Mississippi
Gulfport is the second largest city in Mississippi after the state capital Jackson. It is the larger of the two principal cities of the Gulfport-Biloxi, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, Mississippi Combined Statistical Area. As of the...
offer to give free rides home on weekend
Workweek
The workweek and weekend are those complementary parts of the week devoted to labour and rest respectively. The legal working week , or workweek , is the part of the seven-day week devoted to labor. In most Western countries it is Monday to Friday. The weekend comprises the two traditionally...
nights to fellow students. The HERO Campaign is a non-profit that promotes designated driving through partnerships with bars, restaurants, stadiums and colleges in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware.
Businesses
United StatesNumerous businesses have sprouted up across the United States to help address the problem of drinking and driving. Some transport their drivers home, as passengers, using one of three methods: car, collapsible scooter, or foldable bike. These are not necessarily true designated driver programs, but instead Safe Ride programs, as the sober driver is not designated from within the natural drinking group. Designated Drivers, Inc, was founded in 1998 and later based out of Las Vegas, NV. This company has used two person teams: one person to drive the impaired individual in their own vehicle, and the other person as the follow driver. Pittsburgh's Pear Transportation Company, aka The Pear Cares, has also become well known for using the two-person team approach. NightRiders, Incorporated
NightRiders, Incorporated
NightRiders, Incorporated was the first U.S. designated-driver-for-hire service to use collapsible motor scooters, also known as monkey bikes.-History:...
was the first company to use collapsible, motorized scooters in the US. The drivers drove customers home using their own vehicles, stowing a scooter in the customer's trunk (or truck). Upon arrival to the customer's destination, the driver parked the vehicle, collected the fare, assembled the scooter from the vehicle, and rode off to the next customer. This company is now out of business, according to their website. Zingo Transportation
Zingo Transportation
Zingo Transportation, Inc. was founded in October 2005 by Atlanta entrepreneurs Jim Valentine and Charles Barfield.Zingo Transportation is a designated-driving service that uses the customer's own car to transport them to their home...
has operated this kind of service in southern US cities since 2005. Drivers Incorporated, of Washington DC, has used foldable bicycles for the last mile of transportation, to and from public transportation.
Australia
Designated driver services in Australia exist in many capital cities and regional towns. The service is in high demand due to highly regulated, unreliable taxi services . Perth Designated Drivers are a new service operating in Perth. In Queensland, Co Drivers operate from the Sunshine Coast and One Way Driver operate from the Gold Coast. Safe Drivers, Driven Indulgence and My Driver operate out of Melbourne. Scooter Angels operate out of Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne and Dial-A-Driver operate in Sydney and Adelaide.
A nationally award-winning designated driver program called Who's DES Tonight? operates out of the Burnie City Council in Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
. This program is supported by Recording Artists, Actors and Athletes Against Drink Driving (RADD) Australia.