Interactive Cyber-Truck In Des Moines To Combat Drunk Driving before Labor Day Holiday Weekend

Lt. Governor Pederson, Attorney General Miller, Lyn Walding of the Alcohol Beverage Control Board and The Century Council Launch National Bilingual Blood Alcohol Education Awareness Campaign

Des Moines, IA – Lt. Governor Sally Pederson, Attorney General Tom Miller, Lyn Walding of the Iowa Alcohol Beverage Control Board, along with The Century Council, a national not-for-profit organization funded by America’s leading distillers and committed to reducing drunk driving and underage drinking, showcased a national public education and awareness campaign today. The national bilingual effort is a response to recent research demonstrating that Americans do not know their state drunk driving laws or how drinking affects their individual blood alcohol concentration (BAC).

“According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were 164 alcohol related traffic fatalities in Iowa in 1998. I am very encouraged that The Century Council has created such a user-friendly BAC educational campaign and encourage the residents of Iowa to use this program,” said Lt. Governor Pederson.

“Unfortunately, alcohol-related traffic fatalities escalate during the summer months, particularly over long holiday weekends such as the upcoming Labor Day weekend. In fact, in 1998 50% of the traffic fatalities nationwide over Labor Day weekend were alcohol-related. That is, 232 people lost their lives in one weekend because of drinking and driving. Even one alcohol-related traffic fatality is too much and I hope that the people of Iowa will utilize the valuable program that The Century Council is providing to us here today,” said Attorney General Miller.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), almost 15,800 people died in alcohol related crashes in 1999. In 1999, a national survey commissioned by The Century Council revealed a disturbing awareness gap among the public’s knowledge of drinking and driving laws.

“The survey revealed that 70 percent of Americans do not know the legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit for driving in their state, and 86 percent of Hispanic Americans do not know the limit. In response to government research and our study, we recognized the need to create an educational tool to help Americans understand what BAC means to them,” said John C. Lawn, Chairman and CEO, The Century Council.

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 truck dubbed the Blood Alcohol Educator (BAE) that is currently touring the Midwest to distribute the CD-ROMs. The BAE truck kicked-off its nationwide tour last fall and traveled to California and Florida in March and April before heading to Virginia, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Ohio, Georgia, Tennessee, Wisconsin and Illinois. The user-friendly vehicle converts into an interactive cyber-café that allows visitors to use the BAE CD-ROM to estimate their BAC level based on sex, 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.

Since the BAE truck launched last October in Texas, approximately 70,000 BAE CD-ROMs have been distributed. The colorful travelling BAE truck today stopped at the State Capitol to launch the Iowa State tour. The BAE truck will travel to Waterloo for an event with U.S. Representative Jim Nussle before heading to Minnesota.

“It is very important for every adult to be aware of how quickly their blood alcohol level is altered when drinking, and I am pleased that The Century Council is providing such an important public service. While national statistics show that alcohol-related traffic fatalities are declining, that is not good enough. Our work is not done until not one more person gets behind the wheel after drinking too much and The Century Council’s educational program is just another step towards fighting this problem,” said Lyn Walding.

“Driving across the country in the BAE truck provides us with a personal approach to educating Americans,” said Lawn. “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.”

The BAE Spring/Summer Truck tour kicked off in San Francisco on March 9th and toured California for the month of March and then headed to Florida for 2 _ weeks. The BAE Truck kicked off the northeastern leg of the tour in Hartford, Connecticut on April 27th. After Connecticut the truck toured Northern Virginia, Washington, DC, Raleigh, North Carolina, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Ohio, Georgia, Tennessee, Wisconsin and Illinois. The truck will travel throughout the Midwest in August. For more detailed information on the national tour, log onto the BAE Web site, www.baecdrom.org.

Launched in 1991, The Century Council is funded by America’s leading distillers. The Council’s mission is to promote responsible decision-making regarding beverage alcohol and discourage all forms of irresponsible consumption through education, communications, research, law enforcement and other programs. For more information on the BAE CD-ROM or to download a copy of the program, log onto www.baecdrom.org or www.centurycouncil.org.