Be a Sober Designated Driver

With athletic events, homecoming, formals, parties, and meeting up with friends on the weekend, college students keep busy with their academics as well as their social calendars.  A plan for a safe night out and a sober ride home can make for a memorable evening!

There are many high-risk times throughout the year facing college students, and a sober designated driver can help everyone get home safely.  There are many strategies students can employ to stay be safe and make lower-risk choices.  Every plan needs to include having a sober designated driver. As an individual, you also can make a pledge to never drink and drive and to never ride with a driver who has been drinking.

Campuses can partner with a variety of community members to support sober designated drivers.  Local bars, restaurants, and distributors can be great partners and may be willing to offer or sponsor free non-alcohol drinks and/or discounted food for the designated driver in each group.

Getting Started

• Learn about your campus philosophy for campus-community partnerships.  The campus peer education group advisor, student government advisor, or student organization office are great places to learn more.
• Identify popular establishments among students and local distributors.
• Invite local alcohol retailers and distributors as well as restaurant, bar, and club owners to participate in the campus-community coalition.
• Not sure how to identify local wholesalers and distributors? Contact BACCHUS to learn more.
• Brainstorm how these partners can support designated drivers (i.e., offer free non-alcohol beverages to the designated driver in each group, offer one discounted appetizer to each group with a designated driver).
• Determine a common symbol to identify the designated driver.  For example, BACCHUS offers a silicone, bright green bracelet with the statement “Be a Sober Designated Driver” that can be worn for the designated driver for the night.
• Ask the groups to support all designated drivers, not just college student designated drivers, to ensure broad community support.
• Ask each participating partner to sign a Memorandum of Understanding about their partner role in supporting the designated driver program.

 

Raising Awareness

• Determine how to inform students about the designated driver program.
• Remind students that a sober designated driver is someone who does not consume any alcohol beverages or use any other substances (prescribed, over-the-counter, or illegal) that affects one’s ability to drive.
• Ask the campus newspaper, radio station, and other media outlets to run a PSA about the program.
• Work with your campus media department to further spread the word about your program.
• Ask student government, Greek life, Residence Life, Athletics, and other key student groups to promote the program and provide each group with the key messages of your program.
• Consider asking for 5 minutes at a Student Government, Faculty Senate, and Classified Staff meeting to inform these groups about the program.
• Connect with your campus and local law enforcement and let them know about the program.  They may be able to mention the program in their press releases during times of increased DUI enforcement.

 

Showing Gratitude
Collaboration asks for time, commitment, and energy from each partner.  There are a variety of ways to show your appreciation and provide your partners with recognition for their dedication to impaired driving prevention.

• Include the name of their establishment in your press releases about the designated driver program.
• Send a thank you note to the owner of the establishment and also thank the bartenders and servers for their important role.
• Create fun thank you notes prior to a few high-risk times, such as a note thanking an establishment for “being a treat” this Halloween or for “being the four-leaf clover that supports sober rides and safer communities” prior to St. Patrick’s Day.
• Print certificates after each term or academic year to recognize the establishment’s commitment to designated drivers.  If you have the budget, purchase frames and encourage the establishment to hang the certificate.
• Develop an emblem, static clings or stickers establishments can place on their windows and/or menus indicating they support designated drivers.
• Include the names of your partners in all advertisements about the establishments supporting designated drivers.

 

Taking the Next Step
If you and your friends are interested in doing more to create sober rides for your peers, consider creating a safe ride program.

In addition, partnerships with local distributors can help support more alcohol abuse and impaired driving prevention work on campuses.  Be sure to check out this overview of ways to collaborate.

Campuses affiliated with The BACCHUS Network™ can access additional information about effective strategies for decreasing alcohol abuse and impaired driving through BACCHUS’ National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week Toolkit.