The following came from a press release from a couple of years back;
“Drinking and driving remains the number one criminal cause of death in Canada. In Ontario, approximately one−quarter of all road fatalities are alcohol related. Over 16,000 people in Ontario are convicted criminally for drinking−and−driving−related offences.”
Police Services recognize the danger that drinking and driving poses to citizens. Between drink drive stop programs, RIDE programs, impaired by drug detection programs and many other intervention techniques law enforcement does a great deal to stay on top of drinking and driving.
This weekend Police no doubt will be ramping up efforts to protect people because of the SuperBowl. “If you drink, don’t drive.” is the common mantra. In fact, over the last couple of days I’ve seen the SuperBowl messages from department’s getting ramped up. The #DontDrinkAndDrive Tweets are flying!
The best so far that I have seen so far;
#SuperBowl #Party #DUI #Arrest #Jail #Unemployed #Broke #DontDrinkAndDrive
That Tweet tells a story doesn’t it?
But, while Tweeting your don’t drink and drive message is a good start, it almost seems like agencies are forgetting about everything else that they have at their disposal.
- Media Interviews
- Press Releases
- Video
- Blogs
A Tweet alone doesn’t carry the depth of the message that you need to get across. Tell your audience the options and alternatives. Interview the owner of a cab company on YouTube. Put up a map of local hotels near your bar district. Put out links to your local transit providers. Links to your community safety, government or NGO’s that have specific information regarding drinking or drug impaired driving.
Pictures…pictures tell a thousand words so use them.
Give, give, give, give the information. Stop being lazy. In fact, your opportunity to make your own Superbowl Don’t Drink and Drive Commercial has passed, but that’s what you should have been thinking about.
Put out comparisons of the price of alternatives to the price of an Impaired or DUI Driving conviction. But don’t stop there…what about overlooked information like walking while intoxicated is extremely dangerous. Many pedestrians have been seriously injured or killed from walking, stumbling or falling into traffic.
Post your emergency and non-emergency numbers. The life you save could be your loved one.
Don’t just stop at #DontDrinkandDrive. You have way more to give, so give, give, give.
Hey, and if you see a great Tweet, FB post, PIN or Instagram pic, put it here in the comments and I’ll make sure to share it.
Pic courtesy of RIM Family Services rimfamilyservices.org
