The University of Richmond Police Department and the Century Council Team Up to Highlight Education Campaign to Stop Drunk Driving

Blood Alcohol Education Campaign Van Featured Richmond, VA The University of Richmond Police Department joined Pam Beer, field director with The Century Council, a national not-for-profit organization funded by distillers dedicated to fighting drunk driving and underage drinking, to showcase a national public education and awareness campaign at The University of Richmond today. The Century Council’s national bilingual effort is a response to research demonstrating that seven out of ten adults report that they do not know the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit for driving in their own state.

“According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were 364 alcohol-related traffic fatalities in Virginia last year (2003), a decrease of nearly 4 percent. Sadly, 60 of those fatalities were among youth under 21. These numbers are far too high,” said Officer Adrienne Meador. “I am encouraged that The Century Council has made it a priority to provide these programs to Virginians. We must continue to work together to reduce the number of lives lost.”

“Knowing the law and knowing how alcohol affects your individual blood alcohol concentration is key to making good decisions when it comes to beverage alcohol,” said Pam Beer of The Century Council. “The Century Council’s Blood Alcohol Education campaign is a great resource for informing American adults about both of these issues.”

At the heart of the educational campaign is the Blood Alcohol Educator (BAE) CD-ROM, a
credit card sized CD-ROM in both Spanish and English that educates the user on how alcohol influences their BAC level. Highlighting the campaign is a colorful van dubbed the Blood
Alcohol Educator (BAE) that is traveling the country to distribute the CD-ROMs. In six years’ time, the project has evolved into a successful national tour. To date, the BAE Van has traveled to 45 states and the District of Columbia — a total of over 250,000 miles.

The user-friendly vehicle converts into an interactive cyber-café that includes three computer terminals which allow visitors to use the BAE CD-ROM to estimate their BAC level based on gender, weight and the type and number of drinks consumed at the BAE CD-ROM’s virtual bar. In addition to reflecting a person’s BAC level, the CD-ROM includes a virtual clock that demonstrates how long it will take for an individual’s BAC level to return to .00.

“Driving across the country in the BAE van provides us with a personal approach to educating Americans,” said Beer. “We hope this grassroots educational and awareness campaign will maximize its impact and reduce the distinct awareness gap among Americans of what BAC laws are and how the law affects individuals differently.

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