Designated driver campaign: "Los Noc-turnos"

Objective

To raise awareness of the dangers of drink-driving among young drivers.

To normalise the use of a designated driver among groups.

To raise awareness of responsible alcohol consumption among young drivers.

To foster a culture of responsibility at the wheel and ultimately save lives.

Description

Alcohol was one of the main causes of traffic accidents (DGT Data) at the beginning of the 21st century. Lack of social awareness about drink-driving and a permissive attitude towards it contributed to the 5,776 traffic deaths in 2000.

Therefore, to help combat the problem, Espirituosos España launched their designated driver initiative, which mainly targets young drivers aged between 18 and 30.

Trained volunteers:

Encourage drivers to show that they are sober (0.0 BAC level) when returning home by taking a breathalyser test. If the driver is sober, they receive a small gift (for example a 20€ fuel voucher).
Explain the importance of remaining sober when driving.
Encourage groups of young people to choose a designated driver who commits to not drinking any alcohol. If the driver is sober when going home (breathalyser test), they receive a small gift.
Accompany local police during controls. If the driver is sober (police breathalyser test), they receive a small gift. The volunteers also give the car passengers information about responsible drinking.

2024: 20th Anniversary Celebration and Renewal of the Commitment to Road Safety

To mark the programme’s 20th anniversary, Espirituosos España organised an event at the Congress of Deputies to highlight its efforts in promoting the designated driver concept. The event brought together institutions and entities that have supported the programme over the years.

The Director of the Spanish Traffic Authority (DGT), Pere Navarro, emphasised that Spain has become an international benchmark in road safety. Meanwhile, Marta Madrenas, Chairwoman of the Standing Committee on Road Safety, praised Espirituosos España for “reaching out to all institutions to collaborate and make our society a safer place.” Also, the findings from a YouGov survey carried out in July and August 2024 was presented to hightlight that the programme has proven to be a successful model for encouraging road safety over the years.

Lastly, Espirituosos España celebrated the results obtained so far and reaffirmed its commitment to road safety by enshrining the following principles:

“If you drink, don’t drive”

This is the fundemental fundamental philosophy of the programme.

Promoting the designated driver

This effective and collaborative idea rewards responsibility and contributes to reducing traffic accidents.

Encouraging responsible habits

This is a for the friends of designated drivers to directly benefit from the programme too.

Partners

The use of a designated driver is supported by:

Congress of Deputies
Directorate General of Traffic (DGT)
Civil Guard
UNIJEPOL (local police forces)
Different City Councils

Results

Since its launch in 2001, Espirituosos España has carried out actions in more than 300 Spanish municipalities in collaboration with the Civil Guard and Local Police. The programme has reached over 300,000 young drivers and rewarded more than 20,000 designated drivers who demonstrated that they were sober (0 BAC level).

Measurement & evaluation

Findings of a 2024 YouGov Research Study (6,000 interviews. July and August 2024) showed that:

35% use their car to go out at night with friends or family every week.
14% do not drive when they go out.
79% of drivers were subjected to a breathalyser test in the past month. Most tested negative, highlighting the growing societal habit of prioritising road safety.
54% said that they are familiar with the “Los Noc-Turnos” programme and put the designated driver role into practice.

This initiative, as well as others, has contributed over the years to a better understanding of the dangers of drink-driving: Alcohol is no longer one of the main causes of traffic accidents in Spain. In 2021, there were 1,004 alcohol-related road deaths, 82% less than in 2000! (DGT data).

Also, Espirituosos España research data shows that young people’s awareness of the importance of remaining sober when driving is much better:

86% say they do not drink if they are going to drive.
70% are very familiar with the designated driver concept.
80% would try to stop a friend from drink-driving.
Those who taken part in an Espirituosos España initiative are more aware of the dangers of combining alcohol and driving, and, believe that the designated driver initiative works because it proposes a credible and effective solution to avoid drink-driving.