Opération Nez rouge
Encyclopedia
Opération Nez rouge founded in 1984, is an escorting service offered in Quebec
and several francophone
countries under several names as well as in the English-speaking parts of Canada
under the name Operation Red Nose during the Christmas
holiday season.
, fatigue
, or any reason. Although it is a free service, donations are accepted.
Each year during the holiday season, an advertising campaign reminds the public to use the service if necessary.
When needing a ride, the client first calls the organization
. The client must have his/her own car—it is not a taxi service. An escort team of three volunteers arrives. One volunteer, the 'escort driver', uses his or her own car to drive the other two volunteers to the client's location. The 'designated driver' volunteer then drives the client home in the client's own car. The third volunteer is the 'navigator', and drives with the designated driver and client, collecting any donation that the client should want to make, giving the client a receipt, and making conversation with the client so the client does not bother the driver. When the ride is over, the escort driver picks up the designated driver and the navigator.
Originally donations went to the swimming team of Université Laval
, but the organization became so successful that today donations go to 150 organizations. The costs of Operation Nez Rouge are covered by sponsors (such as insurance companies.)
, who had two goals. He wanted to finance Université Laval's swimming team and he wanted to do something to fight driving under the influence. He knew that drivers leaving bars refused taxis
to bring them home when intoxicated, not because of the cost, but because they wanted to have their own cars the next day. Thus came the idea to simply offer an escorting service.
The service was used 1,205,894 times between 1984 and 2004.
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
and several francophone
Francophone
The adjective francophone means French-speaking, typically as primary language, whether referring to individuals, groups, or places. Often, the word is used as a noun to describe a natively French-speaking person....
countries under several names as well as in the English-speaking parts of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
under the name Operation Red Nose during the Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
holiday season.
Description
The escorting service is offered to anyone who does not feel capable of driving due to alcohol consumptionAlcohol consumption
Alcohol consumption may refer to:* Alcohol consumption by youth in the United States* Alcoholic beverage* Legal drinking age* List of countries by alcohol consumption* Long-term effects of alcohol* Short-term effects of alcohol...
, fatigue
Fatigue (physical)
Fatigue is a state of awareness describing a range of afflictions, usually associated with physical and/or mental weakness, though varying from a general state of lethargy to a specific work-induced burning sensation within one's muscles...
, or any reason. Although it is a free service, donations are accepted.
Each year during the holiday season, an advertising campaign reminds the public to use the service if necessary.
When needing a ride, the client first calls the organization
Organization
An organization is a social group which distributes tasks for a collective goal. The word itself is derived from the Greek word organon, itself derived from the better-known word ergon - as we know `organ` - and it means a compartment for a particular job.There are a variety of legal types of...
. The client must have his/her own car—it is not a taxi service. An escort team of three volunteers arrives. One volunteer, the 'escort driver', uses his or her own car to drive the other two volunteers to the client's location. The 'designated driver' volunteer then drives the client home in the client's own car. The third volunteer is the 'navigator', and drives with the designated driver and client, collecting any donation that the client should want to make, giving the client a receipt, and making conversation with the client so the client does not bother the driver. When the ride is over, the escort driver picks up the designated driver and the navigator.
Originally donations went to the swimming team of Université Laval
Université Laval
Laval University is the oldest centre of education in Canada and was the first institution in North America to offer higher education in French...
, but the organization became so successful that today donations go to 150 organizations. The costs of Operation Nez Rouge are covered by sponsors (such as insurance companies.)
History
Operation Nez Rouge was started in 1984 in Quebec City by Jean-Marie De KoninckJean-Marie De Koninck
Jean-Marie De Koninck, CM, CQ is a Quebec mathematician. He has served as a professor at Université Laval since 1972 and is the creator of the road safety program Opération Nez Rouge,or "Red Nose Operation", a system preventing people from drinking and driving.- Biography :He is the son of the...
, who had two goals. He wanted to finance Université Laval's swimming team and he wanted to do something to fight driving under the influence. He knew that drivers leaving bars refused taxis
Taxis
A taxis is an innate behavioral response by an organism to a directional stimulus or gradient of stimulus intensity. A taxis differs from a tropism in that the organism has motility and demonstrates guided movement towards or away from the stimulus source ...
to bring them home when intoxicated, not because of the cost, but because they wanted to have their own cars the next day. Thus came the idea to simply offer an escorting service.
The service was used 1,205,894 times between 1984 and 2004.