Jim Fitzpatrick MP: Launching the Designated Driver Campa

It’s an honour to sponsor the launch of the Coca-Colaand THINK Designated Driver campaign today. Safety on our roads is an issue close to my heart and for me this initiative represents the very best of road safety campaigning. Over 8,000 pubs will be giving the right advice to their customers over the festive season because of it. For the sixth Christmas running designated driver venues across the country will be encouraging people to do the right thing and these responsible drivers will be rewarded for their efforts.

As the campaign goes from strength to strength it’s important to remember where we might be without it. Every fatality on our roads tells a deeply personal story of tragedy and loss. The story behind every statistic involves someone’s mother or father, son or daughter, brother or sister. At Christmas the potential for drink driving is inevitably greater. Let’s be honest people will drink more at this time of year and it’s easier to get carried away in the moment. This is also a season when we spend more time with our loved ones so any loss due to drink driving will have that added devastation and tragedy. This is my reason for backing the Designated Driver Campaign. As it and many campaigns like it grow stronger, more people will drive responsibly and less people will die on our roads.

Looking forward to 2014 I want the Government to make their own New Year’s resolution on Road Safety. There are now almost 17,000 fewer deaths or serious injuries in a year than there were in the mid-1990s but we still have more work to do. When I was at the DfT we set an ambitious target to make Britain’s roads the safest in the world by 2020. Let’s reaffirm that target and continue to save as many lives as possible.

I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable Christmas.

The parliamentary event is on Wednesday 4th December from 4pm - 6pm in Dining Room A. For more information email .