Drink driving stats are falling to
encouraging levels, but hiccups remain. By Ramesh William
Last month’s crackdown on illegal
racing along Orchard Road raised a set of worrying questions. Why
didn’t the Traffic Police, who were aware of the high-speed racers
in the area, take action sooner? Or, what if one of the drivers
were under the influence of alcohol, lost control of his car and
crashed into an innocent group of bystanders? As it turned out,
none of the drivers, thankfully, were found with illegal amounts of
alcohol in their blood.
Because when it comes to drink
driving, the Traffic Police takes no chances. Through aggressive
educational and promotional incentives and some of the stiffest
penalties anywhere in the world, the government body, alongside
alcohol companies and entertainment venues, are slowly but surely
wrestling the drink driving demon to the ground.
The statistics coming out of the
Ministry of Home Affairs are encouraging. Compared to previous
years, the number of drink driving arrests fell markedly in
2008—dropping from a 10-year high in 2007 (4,010) to 3,586, while
the number of drink driving accidents fell from 188 in 2007 to 179
last year.
The positive trend has continued this year with 2009’s first
quarter registering 688 arrests when compared to 2008 (851) and
2007 (915). But within the optimistic-looking figures, lies a more
macabre number. The number of deaths rose last year—22 compared to
2007’s 15. Remember Mark Twain’s quip about lies, damned lies and
statistics, well it seems you can almost file the above stats in
that drawer.
The Traffic Police, however, is not letting its guard slip.
“While we’ve made relentless efforts in our fight against drink
driving, we are very concerned that there were more drink driving
deaths on our roads last year when compared to the previous year,”
says Inspector Ivan Choo of the Police Public Affairs Department.
“We will continue to collaborate with the various entertainment
outlets to drive home the anti-drink drive message ... and also our
effective ring-fencing strategy and our numerous educational
initiatives.”
Ring-fencing is the strategy of road-blocking all routes out
of major drinking and entertainment areas, and has been credited
with driving down the number of drink driving
cases.
What does this mean then? Do we take heart from fewer arrests
or raise a concerned eyebrow in the direction of more deaths on the
road? Are our responsible drinking campaigns actually
working?
Three Way
Partnership
The authorities are also working
with alcohol distributors and entertainment venues to hammer home
the point that drinking and driving don’t mix and, in fact, are
absolute taboo.
Marquee entertainment venues like Zouk are among those who
collaborate with the Police to educate the public on the perils of
getting behind the wheel stupefied. “We work very closely with the
Traffic Police in promoting anti-drink drive campaigns,” says
Zouk’s Marketing Manager Mari Muramoto. “Posters conveying such
messages are put up within the club premises especially in the
toilets to create greater awareness and to serve as a further
reminder to patrons.” The club also has one wall mounted
breathalyzer for patrons to check whether they’re in any fit
condition to drive home, and three handheld breathalyzers that are
administered by the valets to check on driving
patrons.
Even smaller nightspots like Balaclava in Suntec City and
Wala Wala in Holland Village work with the authorities to put up
anti drink drive posters throughout their premises. The most
prominent Traffic Police-fronted anti-drink drive campaign in
recent times has been the “shock tactic” method of using gory
images of accidents with “drink familiar” taglines like “Bloody
Mary,” “One for the Road” and “On the Rocks.”
“We’ve got Traffic Police posters prominently displayed in
both our bars,” says Carol-Anne Wah of Wala Wala and Balaclava.
“But the most effective enforcers of the responsible drinking
campaigns are our staff—they’ll look after you and even stop
serving you if they feel you’ve had one too many
drinks.”
Wah also says that it has partnered with Diageo, the holding
company of its whiskey house pour Johnnie Walker, to give away taxi
vouchers to patrons who buy bottles of the premium Scotch. The
company behind well-known alcohol brands like Guinness, Smirnoff
and Jose Cuervo, Diageo is at the forefront of the battle against
anti-drink drive message and trumpets responsible drinking at every
given opportunity.
Through its “Guardian Angel” and “Join the Pact” campaigns, Diageo
collaborates with entertainment venues and the authorities to
ensure no stone goes unturned in this tripartite fight against
drink driving. “We have a long track record of supporting
anti-drink driving initiatives in many countries,” says Lin
Menuhin, alcohol and responsibility director for Diageo Asia
Pacific. “The ‘Guardian Angel’ campaign is one of many similar
responsible drinking initiatives we have developed to educate
consumers about drinking responsibly and abstaining from getting
behind the wheel under the influence of alcohol.
Meanwhile, Asia Pacific Breweries (APB), which has alcohol
brands like Tiger Beer and Heineken, has been equally at the fore
of the campaign against drink driving, rolling out a slew of
responsible drinking initiatives over the years. “As a responsible
corporate citizen and the leading brewer in Singapore, we see our
involvement in these campaigns and programs as an essential
component of the company’s corporate social responsibility
efforts,” says Frazer Neo-Macken, APB’s spokesperson. “We seek to
educate the public about drinking responsibly as well as promote a
positive drinking experience for all.”
In 2007, Tiger introduced the “Know Your Limit” initiative,
where breathalyzers were provided at venues St. James Power Station
and Zouk. In 2008, it introduced, with the support of Traffic
Police, the Tiger “Don’t Drink and Drive. It’s EZ” initiative where
drivers can redeem complimentary EZ-Link cards so that they can
take public transport home.
“By introducing such initiatives, we believe that we provide
drivers with a choice and an alternative to go home safely after a
night out, and a reminder that one should never drink and drive as
there are available alternatives,” adds Neo-Macken.
Going it
Alone
Some clubs like Zirca at Clarke Quay choose to go it alone when
promoting the anti-drink drive message. “Zirca has not started
promoting anti-drink driving messages on our premises, but we are
definitely glad to do so if a suitable partner comes along and
works with us on the campaign,” says Zirca’s marketing spokesperson
Lim Yi Fang. “On the ground, our operations managers, floor staff
and front office managers will often advise our guests [who appear
seemingly drunk] to go for the valet services just outside Zirca,
which is run by CapitaLand [which runs Clarke Quay], or call a cab
back for the guests who do not drive.”
The club is also proactive when it suspects that a driving
patron may have had one too many drinks. “Based on our operations
team’s experience, they are usually able to spot customers who have
had too many drinks to drive,” says Lim. “However, for those who
can hold their drinks but exceed the legal alcohol limit, the best
way to monitor will be through a breathalyzer.”
But sometimes monitoring alone is not effective in crowded
establishments. “Come work at our bars; we can’t monitor
everything,” says Balaclava and Wala Wala’s Carol-Anne Wah. “But
it’s very easy to monitor regular guests once you get a hang of who
drives and who doesn’t. If we see someone really tipsy, we take
their car keys away. Seriously, we’ve done it before to
regulars...or we call their friends.”
Areas of
Concern
But having posters and enforcers are not enough, as the onus is on
patrons to be responsible for their own actions. A restaurateur,
who requested that his name be withheld, said that it is not
uncommon for customers at both his establishments to order a couple
of bottles of wine with their meal and drive off after
that.
“Most people think that only those who are at nightspots are
prone to drink driving,” he says. “I have seen people who, after a
consuming half a bottle of wine, stagger up from their seats after
a meal. Not a single one has ever accepted my offer—this has been
the case for a few years now—of calling them a cab; some even get
hyper aggressive when I ask them if they’re any fit condition to
drive.”
It’s precisely because of episodes like these that he feels
that the effectiveness of the Traffic Police’s ring-fencing policy
may be limited. “Both my restaurants are outside the entertainment
areas; one’s in the east, the other in the north,” he says. “My
customers know that a couple of glasses of wine can take them over
the legal limit but they also know that they’re unlikely to
encounter any roadblocks, especially if they don’t live far
away.”
Others too point out that the anti-drink driving measures and
campaigns must be sustained outside the festive periods and include
areas outside of the city’s main entertainment
hubs.
A
regular pubgoer and father of three, Sebastian Wee, says that he
feels with the economy in poor shape, more may be drinking
elsewhere outside the main entertainment belts and urges the
authorities to take note of possible worrying trends. “We’ve
already seen reports stating that many are staying away from bars
and nightclubs, as people don’t want to spend too much money in
this economic recession,” says Wee. “I know many who are drinking
at cheaper places like at coffee shops or at friends’ homes. Right
now the campaigns and the Traffic Police seem too focused on places
like Zouk, Clarke Quay or the Dempsey area, when the reality is
there are just as many people drinking at coffee shops in Woodlands
and driving home to Ang Mo Kio. They are equally a threat too, and
must be targeted in Traffic Police’s drink driving outreach
programs.”
Targeted
Campaigns
Wee, who has two children in their ‘20s and a teenager, also feels
that anti-drink drive campaigns should aggressively target youths,
more so than they are now. “What’s the first thing youngsters do
when they get their license?” asks Wee. “They go out and party! And
you think he or she is going to stand around and be the teetotal
designated driver on that night? Fat chance. Also remember that
these kids, unlike adults, have a lower tolerance to alcohol and
spirits.”
It is precisely because of this worrying trend that companies
like Diageo and APB have rolled out youth-centric campaigns. APB’s
Neo-Macken says that the company launched Get Your Sexy Back
(GYSB), a youth-led moderate drinking campaign aimed at promoting
responsible drinking among young adults by raising the social
currency of moderation.
“The initial campaign launch in December 2007 was very well
received,” he says. “And we have since October 2008 expanded GYSB
into a full-fledged program driven by enthusiastic youth
volunteers, and reaching out to young people through events and
activities that are relevant to them.”
Meanwhile, Diageo has partnered with Manchester United and drivers
from Formula One racing outfit McClaren Mercedes, like current and
former world champions Lewis Hamilton and Mika Hakkinen
respectively, in an obvious effort to target testosterone-fuelled
party-going male drivers.
“The Johnnie Walker ‘JOIN THE PACT Never Drink and Drive’
campaign is one of our most high-profile responsible drinking
campaigns to date,” says Diageo’s Menuhin. “The campaign asks
consumers to make a personal pledge to never drink and drive and
the response has been overwhelming, so we know that consumers are
really taking the message to heart.”
Menuhin also adds that in order for his company’s responsible
drinking campaigns to work, they must be trendy and innovative to
appeal to their target audience. “We try to make sure the
responsible drinking message is delivered in a way that a more
dynamic consumer group can relate to it,” says Menuhin. “We also
try to stress that we’re not discouraging people from drinking or
having fun, we just want consumers to stay safe and make smart
decisions.”
Old Habits Die Hard
Despite the campaigns and initiatives, there are those who still
persist in driving home; if only because most drive to nightspots
in the first place.
“Actually, most don’t mind taking a cab home,” says Ben (not
his real name). “It’s just getting to these places on Friday and
Saturday nights can be so troublesome. It’s always a bitch to get
cabs after seven, eight o’clock on these nights; the surcharges are
ridiculous and drivers get grumpy when you ask them to make a stop
to pick up your friends. So who wouldn’t want to just drive there
themselves when they have a car?”
Ben says he stops at three beers when he drives to these
places, and makes sure he paces his drinks, so that he doesn’t get
“slammed” by the effects of alcohol—even though he may well be over
the drink driving limit.
Another regular pubgoer, Alan Tan, says that while he never
drives to such places, he can understand why people would feel
uncomfortable leaving their cars there. “Some aren’t really aware
of the establishments’ policies,” says Tan. “They feel that if they
leave their cars there overnight, they would incur a huge bill, or
worse, get their cars towed away.”
Zouk’s Mari Muramoto says the club goes out of its way to
ensure that patrons who drive need not be too concerned about
driving home. “Our security and valets are all instructed to call
for taxis for the patrons and to allow drivers who have had too
much to drink to leave their cars parked overnight at no charge,”
she says. “Valet services are also provided free of charge to drive
patrons home when they are unable to do so, and a nominal charge
for transport is usually recommended for the valet to return to
Zouk.”
Joyce Wee, the daughter of Sebastian Wee, says that it still
baffles her as to how people continue with such irresponsible
behavior. “I’m absolutely dumbfounded when I see people who can
afford cars, but don’t want to spend less than 20 dollars to take a
cab home,” she says. “If they don’t value their lives, it’s their
problem, but if they show no consideration to those around them and
endanger innocent lives, they should be locked up for a very long
time—and be banned from driving for life.”
Tougher
Penalties
The Traffic Police has upped its penalties in recent years and will
continue to be heavy-handed with motorists who flout the
law.
“We would like to once again remind the public that drink
driving is a very serious offence and the penalties are severe,”
says Inspector Ivan Choo of the Police Public Affairs Department.
“Even if the driver’s alcohol content in his blood or breath does
not go beyond the legal limit, he can still be charged for drink
driving if he is unable to control his vehicle
properly.”
Drink drivers, on conviction, will be disqualified from
driving for at least 12 months, which would, in effect, invalidate
their driving licenses. In addition, first-time offenders can be
fined between $1,000 and $5,000, or jailed up to six months, while
repeat offenders may be punished with a maximum fine of $30,000 and
a mandatory jail term of up to three years.
Wala Wala’s Carol-Anne Wah says that severe punitive measures in
this economic climate are making Singaporeans really think twice
about driving under influence. “I think Singaporeans just don’t
want to lose their license,” she says. “With the police force
enforcing things around town, you really wouldn’t want to mess with
them.”
So, to some extent, the mixture of “shock tactic”
advertising, the heavy fines, better policing and proactive
measures by the nightlife industry as a whole have led to this
present downturn in drink driving cases.
“I think a lot of credit is also due to the fantastic
partners we work with, including the traffic police and responsible
outlet owners,” says Diageo’s Menuhin. “Awareness of the importance
of responsible drinking has increased dramatically over the past
few years and a lot of stakeholders have really stepped up their
commitment to ensuring alcohol is enjoyed
responsibly.”
So while the stats tell an encouraging story about the drink
driving in Singapore, the message of responsible drinking must be
sustained throughout the year, through different mediums and at
locations islandwide.
This view is echoed by APB’s Neo-Macken. He says, “The anti-drink
driving message must be a continuous effort and we’re confident
that together with our partners, we keep increasing the levels of
awareness among drivers about the dangers of drink driving every
year.”
Know the
Law
A person can be convicted of drink driving under the Road Traffic
Act in the following two instances:
1) If a driver is found with more than 35 micrograms of alcohol per
100 ml of breath, or more than 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 ml
of blood, he has broken the law, whether or not he has perfect
control of the vehicle when caught.
2) If the driver’s alcohol level is under the legal limit, the
driver can still be convicted if it is shown that he did not have
proper control of the vehicle as a result of alcoholic
intoxication.
As a guide, about four units of alcohol for men and three
units for women per hour is all that is required before one is
legally unfit to drive. Compare these units to a single measure of
spirits (one unit), strong lager (three units), standard lager (two
units) and a small glass of wine (average 1.5 units) and you will
realize just how little you need to drink before being over the
limit.
Talk to
an Angel
Diageo launched the Diageo Guardian Angel program in 2007, where
winged ambassadors spread the anti-drink driving message at high
profile nightspots during the festive season. We talk one of the
Angels—model Amanda Swa.
What is your main role as
a Diageo Angel?
As an angel, I champion the responsible drinking message. Our role
as Angels is to communicate that in a fresh and dynamic way. The
message to consumers is that drinking and driving is selfish and
irresponsible. We take our message to the streets and nightspots
and talk to consumers face-to-face. We don’t want to stop people
from going out and having a good time, but we do want them to be
responsible. Ultimately, we want them to think about the dangers of
drink driving and to take on the message: If you drink, don’t
drive.
What are some of the more
interesting reactions you get from patrons when you approach them
with the responsible drinking message?
Most people smile when they see us approaching them and for the
most part they are genuinely willing to listen. Some are more
interested in taking photos with us, quite a few ask to try on our
wings and some have even offered to buy us drinks. But I would say
the best reaction is when people really take the message to heart.
When we first launched the campaign, on our very first night out,
we had a guy hand his car keys to his friend and promised to take a
taxi home. That was an amazing moment that really made me believe
we could make a real difference with this campaign.
How do
you handle patrons who are clearly inebriated?
We’ve always been polite and friendly. We’re not out to lecture
people, we just want to remind them to stay safe.
What would
you like to tell people who still insist on drinking and
driving?
I would tell them there is simply no excuse for drink driving. If
you drink and drive, not only are you putting yourself in danger,
you are also endangering everyone else on the road. No matter how
expensive the taxi ride home, it will never cost you as much as
drink driving.