Bangkok--17 Dec--Hill+Knowlton Strategies Thailand
Diageo Moet Hennessy (Thailand) Ltd. (DMHT) has joined forces with the public sector – including the Metropolitan Police Bureau and the Thai Traffic Police – to once again lead the way in promoting road safety ahead of the New Year holidays. With the support from various partners, including EASY TAXI Thailand, U DRINK I DRIVE, and InterContinental Hotel Bangkok, DMHT successfully launched the ‘Don’t Drink Drive, Back Home Safely: Drink Responsibly and Warn Against Driving Drunk’ campaign. This is the fourth annual edition of the project, in which DMHT and partners seek to address the high rate of road accidents and drink driving issues in Thailand by educating the general public about the importance of having a positive mindset when driving and about drinking responsibly.
The launch event started with a special seminar titled “DRINKiQ – Drinking responsibly is good for you and those around you,” which featured experts representing various sectors of society – including law enforcement representative - Pol. Maj. Gen. Nipon Charoenpol, Deputy Chief of Metropolitan Police Bureau, private sector representative Thanakorn Kuptajit, Corporate Relations Director, Diageo Moët Hennessy (Thailand), award-winning speaker Orapim Raksapol as the face of the younger generation, and Cholaphansa Narula as the representative of the media, women and mothers to reflect on the social impact of harmful drinking. Jayne Harvey, Managing Director of DMHT, was also there to present Road Safety promotion kits and DRINKiQ informational materials to support the work of the police.
Speaking at the event, Pol. Maj-Gen. Adul Narongsak, Deputy Chief of Metropolitan Police Bureau in charge of traffic said, “Road safety issues in Thailand are further aggravated by the factors like traffic law violations and drink driving. Law enforcement alone is not an adequate solution as we need to change the public attitude towards this serious issue. With this project, we have chosen to adopt a more proactive and preventive approach to campaigning in order to change the negative attitudes and encourage everyone to recognise the importance of responsible drinking and compliance with traffic laws. Our experience has proven that to solve road accident problems effectively, participation from every sector in Thai society – public, private, and civil society – is essential.”
Commenting on the company’s goals for the project, Thanakorn Kuptajit, Corporate Relations Director, Diageo Moët Hennessy (Thailand), added, “DMHT believes education can protect general public and address the problem of road accidents in a sustainable manner. We are committed to playing a significant part in raising public awareness of road safety and responsible drinking, and we have been working with the Metropolitan Police Bureau and the Thai Traffic Police since 2011 to educate the public on this through our ‘DRINKiQ: Understanding Responsible Drinking’ training program for police officers and other relevant figures – including business partners, entertainment outlets, consumers and the general public. The program covers everything from basic knowledge about alcoholic drinks to their impact on the body and guidelines for responsible drinking.
The ‘Don’t Drink Drive, Back Home Safely: Drink Responsibly and Warn Against Driving Drunk’ project was conceived as a part of Diageo’s commitment to reduce alcohol-related road accidents and to combat the problem of drink driving in Thailand. This year’s campaign makes public awareness front and centre by providing greater education on responsible drinking and traffic laws across Thai communities, and paving the way to more long-term positive and sustainable changes in road safety. All campaign activities also fall in line with DMHT’s overall Alcohol in Society (AiS) initiatives, which advocate for greater education and sense of responsibility for all and allow alcoholic beverages to have a responsible role in the society.
With the New Year holidays fast approaching, DMHT together with the police and other partners is now organizing troop activities that will promote and implement the campaign’s goals of reducing road accidents related to alcohol and helping Thai communities celebrate in a safe and responsible way.