Scaling Up
Public Awareness
Public awareness efforts are an important part of our work in
several countries. By raising awareness, we can change attitudes
towards drink driving, which will eventually impact drink driving
behavior. We disseminated drink driving messaging in a variety
of ways, including radio, TV, billboards, and printed materials.
In Vietnam, our team held launch events for professional drivers
in Dac Lac, Khanh Hoa, and Ho Chi Minh City with support from
the Vietnam Road Administration and each city’s department
of transport. Media coverage of the launch was extensive and
helped spread public awareness of the program. Law enforcement
conducted checkpoints following the launch, which brought
additional visibility to the project.
After conducting a number of successful initiatives in 2013,
we planned to build on this experience and broaden the scope
of our initiatives in 2014. In each of the six countries, we
introduced new types of programs or expanded the ongoing
initiatives into new locations. For example, in China our team
expanded our data-collection pilot project from Nanjing, the
capital of Jiangsu, to five additional cities in the province.
In some instances, the work was expanded through the initiative
of local stakeholders. In Vietnam, the central government was
the catalyst for scaling up our drink driving enforcement
procedures piloted in Da Nang, Thanh Hoa, and Nghe An. These
procedures were signed into law and adopted as official
procedures in 63 provinces nationwide.
In Russia and Vietnam, we also hosted capacity-building
trainings for journalists to educate them about covering drink
driving-related topics.
Transitioning to Local Management
Law Enforcement
In addition to scaling up effort s, another priority for 2014 was
transitioning activities to local management. To achieve this, we
held discussions with local stakeholders to discuss local funding
opportunities, institutional homes for the initiatives, and public
and private stakeholders to support the work going forward.
Law enforcement plays a critical role in reducing drink driving.
Our programs train and support law enforcement officials so
that they can effectively conduct checkpoints and enforce laws
related to drinking and driving. In Colombia, a new law changing
the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit came into effect
in 2014. Our team immediately prepared materials to educate
police officers and other stakeholders about the content of the
new law and its implications for enforcement. We held eight
seminars and reached over 500 local officials.
In Russia, we were able to establish a relationship with the
premier institution for road safety, Moscow State Automobile
and Road Technical University (MADI). MADI has committed
to serve as the institutional host for the program going forward,
which will create new opportunities for work and partnership
building. In Nigeria, our team held two-day capacity-building
workshops in Abuja and Lagos to train representatives from
NGOs, academia, and unions in strategies for partners to develop
and implement their own projects, with a particular focus on
fundraising techniques. The workshops had a clear impact, with
the partners, including the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and
Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), committing to continue their
efforts to combat drinking and driving in Nigeria.
In Mexico, we continued our work with local police in Puebla.
We arranged for a law enforcement expert from Mexico City to
participate in checkpoints twice per month and hold follow-up
meetings to share observations and recommendations. Our
team also delivered a Cero Muertes por Alcohol al Volante (Towards Zero Deaths from Drinking and Driving) two-hour training
to police and donated other resources needed to conduct the
checkpoint. We provided four AlcoBlow breath alcohol testers,
a laptop for data collection, and two camcorders to record and
facilitate further learnings, among other items.
By strengthening local capacity, we have enabled the programs
to continue with more input and direction from local stakeholders.
Targeting Specific Driver Groups
Conclusion
We also targeted specific driver groups in an effort to reach
those shown to be most at risk for drinking and driving, including
professional drivers and novice drivers. In China, we held safety
education workshops in Nanjing for drink driving offenders,
which were shown to be effective through knowledge and
attitude surveys. In Russia, we launched the Avtotrezvost (Auto
Sobriety) training for novice drivers, which added a 90-minute
interactive lesson on drinking and driving to the driving schools’
existing course on traffic regulations. Over 2,000 students were
reached through the program.
Throughout 2014, building new partnerships and strengthening
existing ones was critical to our work in each of the six countries.
Independent consultancy Channel Research continued the
evaluation of the drink driving initiative and conducted site visits
to Nigeria, Vietnam, and Russia. The evaluation reports that
the relationships established in each country were one of the
positive impacts of our work. These relationships were critical
to scaling up the programs in 2014 and will be essential to
transitioning the programs to local sustainability.
The work summarized in this report is part of the implementation of the
Beer, Wine and Spirits Producers’ Commitments to Reduce Harmful Drinking.
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