Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz

The Designated Driver Program

As members of law enforcement, we see all to often the tragic effects impaired driving has on each of our communities.

Lives are taken in drunk driving accidents that could have easily been prevented.

The Designated Driver Program
is a voluntary program in Plymouth County.
It is a cooperative effort between
the Plymouth County District Attorney's Office,
the local Police Departments,
and the licensed alcohol servers across Plymouth County.

About the Program

It is not meant to endorse any underage drinking and is not to be used for minors .

The program, which began in Hingham, is designed to raise awareness to the problem of drinking and driving.

It is a cooperative effort aimed at reducing the number of impaired drivers on the road, which will effectively reduce preventable deaths and injuries caused by impaired driving.

The program promotes a continuous dialogue between local establishments, the local police department and the District Attorney's Office.

What is a Designated Driver?

A Designated Driver is a person, who at the beginning of the night, agrees not to drink ANY alcoholic beverages during their evening out. It does not mean choosing the
"most sober" or the "least drunk" at the end of the night to be designated to drive.

The Designated Driver accepts the responsibility to ensure that the other members in their party, especially those who are impaired, are transported home safely.

How the Program Works

Participation is voluntary and controlled by the private business.

The program is easy to implement. Each business agrees to provide free non-alcoholic beverages to patrons who identify themselves as the Designated Driver to their server.

They must be in a party of at least two people and not consume any alcoholic drinks
that evening.

If the Designated Driver orders an alcoholic beverage, or is seen consuming an alcoholic beverage, the Designated Driver status is revoked and the non-alcoholic beverages previously served will be charged at the full price.

Statistics

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA, 2006),
Alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes injure someone every two minutes,
and kills someone every 31 minutes.

During 2007, 17,602 people in the U.S. died in alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes, representing 41% of all traffic-related deaths (NHTSA 1/18/08).

130 of the 245 child passengers ages 14 and younger who died in alcohol-related crashes during 2007 were riding with the drinking driver (NHTSA 1/18/08).

In 2007, 29 children age 14 years and younger who were killed as pedestrians or bicyclists were struck by impaired drivers (NHTSA 1/18/08).

In 2007, 20% of the children age 14 years and younger killed in crashes
were killed in alcohol-related crashes. (NHTSA 1/18/08).

In August 2007, Anheuser-Bush hired Nielsen Media Research, to conduct a Designated Driver Poll. Using random digit dialing procedures, more than 1000 Americans age 21 and older were contacted through a telephone survey.

The results showed:

97% of Americans polled heard of a designated driver concept.

93% believe designated drivers are an excellent way to help reduce drunk driving.

69% have described their designated driver as "responsible".

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