HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — It’s a sobering statistic: According to Drive Smart Virginia, men ages 21-35 account for 72 percent of DUI convictions in Virginia.
To educate young men about the perils of drinking and driving and not buckling up, state officials kicked off a new campaign Thursday afternoon at the Richmond International Raceway called, “Who’s Your Driver?”
The campaign is a partnership with DRIVE SMART Virginia, the Department of Motor Vehicles’ Highway Safety Office, and Richmond International Raceway.
“When NASCAR fans meet, you know, for the first time they always have the same question, ‘who’s your driver?’ It’s the first question any NASCAR fan asks, and it’s also a great question to ask yourself and to ask your friends when you’re going out at night,” Governor Terry McAuliffe said. “If you’re going to go out and you intend to have some alcoholic beverages, you need to be prepared to answer the question, who’s your driver? We know that young men account for 72 percent of the DUIs in the Commonwealth, and impaired driving accidents are the most prevalent for 18-35 year olds.
“Clearly we need to reach these young people and we need to reach all Virginians to persuade them and to make sure they have a sober driver when they’re drinking.”
NASCAR fans are 63 percent male, with 45 percent of them falling between 18-to 44 years old.’Who’s Your Driver?’ campaign is a great message to this group and we know that scare tactics just
“‘Who’s Your Driver?’ campaign is a great message to this group, and we know that scare tactics just don’t work. The campaign isn’t asking people to stop drinking, it’s asking people to drive sober,” the governor added.
As part of the campaign, “Who’s Your Driver” will be the presenting sponsor of the 2016 Fall NASCAR Race Weekend at RIR, which includes the Federated Auto Parts 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race and the Virginia 529 College Savings 250 NASCAR XFINITY Series.Find 8News on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram; send your news tips to iReport8@wric.com.
