Published on Friday, 13 November 2020 at 4:49:26 PM
The Shire of Denmark RoadWise Committee in partnership with the Denmark Police are recognising and rewarding young Sober Super Heroes and their passengers for making good choices around alcohol and driving. This program is heading into its 4th year and since its induction has seen young drivers in the Denmark area making more of the right choices when it comes to driving practices.
63% of alcohol related fatalities in 2018 occurred in regional WA and 22% of fatally injured drivers and riders tested positive to one or more illicit substances. Rather than focusing on the potential consequences of drink driving, the Denmark RoadWise Committee is taking a different approach and have implemented a reward program which recognises young drivers and their passengers who choose to leave alcohol out of the driving equation.
“We know that there are a lot of young people in our community who do the right thing by not drinking anything before getting behind the wheel.” Said Matt Hartfield – Denmark Police.
“We wanted to reward the good choices that young people make and local businesses were really happy to come on board with the program. This was our way to show young people that the whole community appreciates what they’re doing, because their choices affect all of us.”
HOW IT WORKS
If you’re a young driver or under and blow 0.00 in a random breath test you might be lucky enough to get an immediate prize of a voucher from a local Denmark business. You’ll also get the opportunity to answer a couple of questions and go in the draw for the grand prize of a swag!
Choosing a sober driver is just as important for passengers. To recognise this, passengers in the vehicle with a driver who blows 0.00 will also get the opportunity to answer a couple of questions and also go into the draw for the grand prize.
Participants can return their forms to the Denmark Pharmacy, Denmark Co-Op and Denmark Tea House Books!
The program runs between Thursday 26th November 2020 and Sunday the 14th of February 2021. The grand prize will be drawn early March 2021.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
“The whole community can support this campaign by encouraging young people not to drink any alcohol before driving, and by setting a good example by doing the same.” Sergeant Matt Hartfield said.
It’s best if you don’t drink anything before driving because alcohol impairs driving ability and increases the risk of crashing. Consuming alcohol and then driving makes it harder for the driver to:
- judge how fast they are driving,
- concentrate on their driving,
- judge the distance between their vehicle and other vehicles,
- react quickly to hazards,
- see traffic signs, other cars, bike riders and pedestrians, and
- stay awake
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