Beware of Halloween Binge Drinking and Driving in Burke

Release, Unified Prevention Coalition of Fairfax County, Becky Todd York:

Halloween has become a favorite holiday to party and binge drink, and the Unified Prevention Coalition of Fairfax County (UPC) hopes to keep local alcohol-impaired students and young adults off our roads during this fall festive time.

A large new ad on campus will greet George Mason University students this month. The “Driving Under the Influence: Don’t Underestimate It” ad warns students that the cost of being caught drinking and driving can add up fast. The large ads will be located in bike shelters near campus parking lots and will remain there for the semester.

“Halloween has become a real “alco-holiday” for young adults,” said UPC President Lisa Adler, noting it is a good time to remind the community of the message “Don’t Drink and Drive.”

GMU students were involved in developing the latest in UPC’s series of ads that the county nonprofit has created in the last 18 months to try to reduce the number of motor-vehicle crashes in Fairfax County involving alcohol-impaired drivers age 18 to 24. New 2013 statistics show that the number of alcohol-related crashes involving 18- to 24-year-old drivers dropped to 243, down from 249 in 2012 in that age group, a 2.4 percent drop.

“We hope the ads continue to get the attention of young adults to make good choices and not drive when drinking, and we hope those under 21 remember that it is illegal for them to drink,” said UPC Executive Director Sara Freund.

At Northern Virginia Community College’s Annandale campus, posters will be displayed around campus and postcards provided to students in the student center as a reminder during the upcoming Halloween season to be mindful of some of the consequences of drinking and driving. At GMU, postcards are being placed under dorm room doors of upperclassmen, posters are being displayed around the campus, and two movie “Don’t Drink and Drive” ads are running in the campus theater.

Fairfax County Police Department, other local and campus police departments, and GMU and NOVA campus officials are also partners in the UPC advertising campaign that seeks to reduce the number of motor-vehicle crashes in Fairfax County involving alcohol-impaired drivers.

Focused Image developed the ad campaign and donated its services. Fairfax restaurants have been displaying UPC ads and distributing UPC drink coasters to encourage patrons to take a cab, an effort partially funded by Fairfax Yellow Cab and Red Top Cab. The campaign is part of UPC’s work under its Virginia Strategic Prevention Framework-State Incentive Grant (SPF-SIG) award.

For more information, visit www.unifiedpreventioncoalition.org.