SPH's Designated Driver Program Enlists President Clinton for PSA

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December 02, 1999

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HARVARD GAZETTE ARCHIVES

With alcohol sales rising in anticipation of the millennium celebration, President Bill Clinton and the television industry have joined forces with the School of Public Health in a "designated driver" media campaign aimed at curbing alcohol-related traffic fatalities. An estimated 450 people may lose their lives in alcohol-related crashes over the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.

At Harvard’s request, Clinton has videotaped a public service announcement (PSA) encouraging the use of designated drivers for broadcast on network television between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. Hollywood kicked off its commitment on Nov. 29 when CBS aired an episode of Paramount Network Television’s Becker addressing the consequences of alcohol-impaired driving and the importance of designated drivers.

President Clinton’s message is airing on the major broadcast networks and on 45 national and regional cable networks. In addition, the National Association of Broadcasters has distributed the president’s message by satellite to all local television stations. Some networks also are broadcasting "designated driver" PSAs featuring their own stars, and major breweries, including Anheuser-Busch, have purchased airtime for advertisements promoting the use of designated drivers.

The text of President Clinton’s message follows:

"Working together we’ve made enormous progress in reducing drunk driving in America. Last year the number of people killed in alcohol-related crashes hit a record low. But we can’t rest on our efforts, when last year almost 16,000 Americans lost their lives to drunk driving. So this holiday season, if you choose to drink, drink in moderation, and choose a designated driver who doesn’t drink at all. Hillary and I wish you a safe, healthy, and happy holiday season."

"Alcohol-impaired driving poses a serious problem for the upcoming millennium celebration," said Jay Winsten, an associate dean at the School of Public Health and the Frank Stanton director of the School’s Center for Health Communication. "As the Earth rotates through sequential time zones in a worldwide celebration, a wave of drunk-driving fatalities may follow. Our message is straightforward: Make it to the Millennium. Designate a Driver."

For the past 11 years, SPH’s Center for Health Communication has spearheaded the National Designated Driver Campaign in collaboration with the television industry and Hollywood studios. Launched in late 1988, the Campaign soon became a national movement. A broad range of prominent individuals, government agencies, national organizations and advocacy groups, professional sports leagues, major corporations, leading police departments, and brewers and distillers have endorsed and promoted the designated driver concept.

According to a 1998 Roper Poll, 53 percent of all U.S. adults who drink, and 64 percent of young adults aged 18 to 29, have served as a designated driver or been driven home by one. Among frequent drinkers who consumed five or more drinks in the past seven days, 62 percent had served as a designated driver and/or been driven home by one.

When the National Designated Driver Campaign was launched in late 1988, annual alcohol-related traffic fatalities stood at 23,626. In 1998, fatalities reached a record low of 15,935. Since 1988, more than 50,000 lives are believed to have been saved due to a combination of tough laws, strict enforcement, and the widespread use of designated drivers.