New campaign throws the spotlight on dangers of drunk driving |22 November 2014

Drunk Driving Wrecks Lives. We know it but still some irresponsible citizens keep doing it. Every weekend in Seychelles we hear of a car accident, not always related to alcohol but most of them are.

To address the situation, the Seychelles Police has launched a campaign called ‘Arrive Alive’. The aim is to educate the public on the dangers of drinking and driving.

The campaign targets not only drivers but any person consuming alcohol in a vehicle, whether driver or a passenger. If open alcohol containers are found in the car, it will be presumed that alcohol has been consumed in the car and those arrested will be convicted for drunk driving, which carries a fine of R10,000 or two years imprisonment or both. On top of that the perpetrator of the offence will have a criminal record.

The ‘Arrive Alive’ campaign was officially launched by the Minister for Home Affairs and Transport Joel Morgan and the Commissioner of Police Ernest Quatre in a ceremony at the police headquarters on Revolution Avenue.

After viewing a gruesome video clip of a car accident, Superintendent Charles Jacquelin explained that road accidents in Seychelles remain a problem due to the high traffic volume which occurs daily and also due to abuse of alcohol and the ignorance and disregard of the laws by motorists.

“Now we want to adopt a proactive, zero tolerance approach to drinking and driving offences. Rather than only being reactive and breathalysing drivers after an accident has occurred, we would rather attempt to identify and arrest drunk drivers prior to an accident occurring and hopefully avoid a situation where people become victims of drunken drivers, hence, creating a safer environment on our roads,” he said.

The objectives of this campaign is to deter motorists from consuming alcohol and drive; to make the roads a safer place for all motorists and pedestrians; to encourage motorists to be more responsible while driving; to reduce the number of road accidents relating to drunken driving and to improve the public’s trust and image of the Seychelles Police Force.

Linda Marina Onezime, a victim of drunk-driving, was present at the launch to give her testimony. With tears in her eyes and her voice full of emotion, she recalled that it is 16 years now since she had a car accident.

“My car was completely crashed and I am now paralysed. At that time, my two children were still small and my whole life suddenly came to a halt. It is not easy at all and thank God I was able to fly to Singapore two days after the accident for treatment. My plea to all is life is precious and when we have an accident, it is our family who suffers the most. Please do not drink and drive,” she said.

According to the public relations manager of the Seychelles Police, Jean Toussaint, an increase in the number of drivers and passengers consuming alcohol on public roads has been observed.

“So the department has come up with the ‘Arrive Alive’ campaign aimed at educating and contravene those who are not abiding by road traffic laws and regulations. We feel that there is no better timing for such a campaign as we are entering the end of year festive season and we know that alcohol will for sure be consumed aplenty,” noted Mr Toussaint.

On the educational side, there will be banners erected across the road at regional levels on Mahé and Praslin. There will also be posters and flyers with important information with regard to the laws, regulations and advice for all road users which will be distributed at district and community levels.

On the operational side there will be random static road blocks and spot checks on different roads on Mahé, Praslin and La Digue. The Seychelles Police is also being assisted by the Drug and alcohol Council (Dac) with television spots to educate against drunk driving.

Trois Freres Distillery has contributed financially for the production of pamphlets and posters while Seychelles Breweries will run a parallel campaign and donate some breathalysers.

The safest advice for all motorists and passengers is ‘Be responsible. Don’t drink and drive. Do not let an innocent person become a victim to your irresponsibility or weakness’.