Don't drink and drive

Wer Fährt, Bleibt Nüchtern
Working Group on Alcohol and Responsibility / Bundesverband der Deutschen Spirituosen-Industrie und -Importeure e.V.
Germany
1993 > Ongoing
#AwarenessRaising #DesignatedDrivers

Objective

To raise awareness of the risks and dangers of drinking and driving.

To promote the designated driver concept as a safe alternative among 18-24 year old males.

To further reduce alcohol-related road accidents.  

Description

Launched in 1993, the “DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE (DDAD)” initiative is one of the longest-standing road safety initiatives in Germany.  It is supported by the beer, wine, sparkling wine and spirits industry federations as a joint contribution to reducing alcohol-related accidents in Germany.  It primarily targets young male drivers aged 18 to 24 as statistics show that this group accounts for an above-average percentage of alcohol-related car accidents.

Since its relaunch in August 2007, the “DDAD” initiative comprises:

  • A website and social media channels
  • For events, the “DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE Academy” (previously “Party Patrol”).

From 2014, the “DDAD” initiative additionally targets vocational schools in the “DDAD Academy”.  In vocational schools, the initiative is able to target a young, car-oriented public who tend to be opinion leaders on the subject of cars among their peers, giving them strong credibility as promoters of the “don’t drink and drive” message.  

In addition to the “DDAD Academy”, the initiative also has its own website and Facebook, Instagram and YouTube channels.  The website, optimised with responsive design for mobile devices in 2014, presents news on the initiative and key facts and figures on drinking and driving, such as penalties and insurance consequences following the reform of the German penalty points system in May 2014.  The Facebook microsite provides current information on the initiative, event announcements, pictures, useful links and a platform for exchange for over 12,599 fans and all other interested users.  

Martin Dulig, Saxon State Minister of Economic Affairs, Labour and Transport and Deputy Minister President, became patron of the “DDAD Academy” in State of Saxony in 2020. The patron in 2021 was Tarek Al-Wazir, Hessian Minister for Economic Affairs, Energy, Transport and Housing.  The “DDAD Academy” was able to visit a total of nine events with a regional focus on Hesse.

As long ago as August 2008, the initiators of the “DDAD” initiative signed the European Road Safety Charter (ERSC) in support of the goal of reducing the annual number of road deaths in Europe to 25,000.  The parties’ commitment to the ERSC is ongoing without requiring renewed ratification. With their signature, the federations accept responsibility and give their public commitment to continue the “DDAD” initiative.

Partners

In partnership with beer, wine, sparkling wine and spirits industry federations: 

  • German Wine Academy
  • German Brewers Association
  • Association of German Sparkling wine cellars
  • Private Breweries Germany

From 2019, Ford-Werke

Results

Until December 2021:

  • Website: The website has tallied a total of over 2.1 million users and over 5.1 million page views since its relaunch in August 2007. 
  • Facebook microsite: The microsite has over 12,599 fans and has reached over 2.8 million since April 2011.
  • Instagram channel: The channel has 517 followers and has reached over 2.5 million since its launch in March 2019.
  • YouTube channel: The initiative’s YouTube videos have been viewed over 40,000 times.
  • Party Patrol/Academy events:
    • 88 events attended by the DDAD Academy (since 2014)
    • 52 events attended by the DDAD Party Patrol (up to the end of 2013)
  • Media reports: There were 203 appearances in print, television, radio and online in 2019/2020/2021.

Measurement & evaluation

  • In 2015 questionnaires were distributed to the 8 participating vocational schools after the “DDAD Academy” events took place.  On average the events were rated with 1.5 (1-6 scale, 1 being the best score).  All eight contact persons would recommend the “DDAD Academy” event to other vocational schools.
  • During 2009, questionnaires and face-to-face interviews took place after the 8 “DDAD Party Patrol” events.  The outcome shows the sustainable effect of the campaign regarding behaviour, attitude and knowledge in connection with the dangers of drink driving.  Young drivers appraised the whole action with the grade of 1.8 (grade system used in schools from 1-6, where 6 is a fail).  All guests who left their email address received a request to answer an online questionnaire 84 weeks after the event (80 took part).  82% of the interviewees stated that they did not drink and drive after events.

Website

https://ddad.de/

Downloads

Videos

DDAD Academy - Hessen-Tour 2021
DON`T DRINK AND DRIVE! SPOT

Photo gallery

Documents

Poster 1 (pdf - 0.6 Mo)
Poster 2 (pdf - 0.81 Mo)