Coca-Cola is encouraging safe driving this Christmas as it launches its annual Coca-Cola Designated Driver campaign. The award-winning initiative, in partnership with the An Garda and Drinkaware.ie aims to reduce instances of drink driving and promote safety on the roads during the festive season by rewarding those who choose to be the designated driver over the Christmas period.
From today, Friday 22nd November, to Wednesday 1
st January 2014, these safety-conscious consumers who assume the role of designated driver on a night out will be rewarded with up to three soft drinks courtesy of Coca-Cola in over 1,000 well-known pubs, clubs and hotels across the Republic of Ireland.
Following on from Coca-Cola’s successful ‘Share a Coke’ campaign, the message for Designated Drivers this Christmas is ‘I believe in sharing’.
Garda Derek Cloughley, Garda National Traffic Bureau endorsed the campaign, saying: "An Garda Síochána is delighted, once again, to support the launch of the Coca-Cola Designated Driver safety initiative. Getting home safely at the end of the night is the most important thing when out socialising, so by offering free soft drinks, it will encourage more drivers to make that decision to be the designated driver and make sure everyone gets home safe and sound."
The 2013 Designated Driver campaign supported by An Garda Síochána
and drinkaware.ie goes live on Friday 22
nd November 2013 and runs until Wednesday 1
st January 2014.
Fionnuala Sheehan, Chief Executive of drinkaware.ie added: "We are delighted to fully endorse the Coca-Cola Designated Driver campaign and encourage the public to avail of it. The campaign is a practical initiative that will encourage responsible drinking around the busy Christmas period.”Visit
www.designateddriver.ie for a full list of participating licensed outlets across the Republic of Ireland that have signed up to activate the initiative. The newly updated website, also accessed through
www.cokezone.ie, will allow designated drivers to download their free soft drink vouchers before they visit the venues as well as locate the outlets offering the service on the handy pub finder map.
A Designated Driver is defined as someone who is driving friends and family home from a night out socialising, while abstaining from alcohol for the evening. The Designated Driver may avail of free soft drinks from the Coca-Cola range over the course of the evening in participating licensed premises.
Coca-Cola will offer designated drivers a choice of Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Sprite, Fanta Orange, Fanta Lemon, Deep RiverRock, still and sparkling, and Appetiser.
