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India Sasha takes the wheel for Coca-Cola’s Designated Driver campaign

Posted By:
Coca-Cola HBC Northern Ireland Ltd

14th Nov 2023

Coca-Cola’s Designated Driver Campaign is back to reward those drivers who play their part in getting their friends and family home safely this Christmas!

 

For the 15th year in a row, Coca-Cola HBC’s Designated Driver campaign is back to reward those drivers who get loved ones home safely after a night out. With a 36%* increase in deaths on our roads so far this year, planning your route home and potentially being the Designated Driver has never been more important.

To reward those unsung heroes of Christmas who gift their friends a lift, the Coca-Cola Designated Driver is back in over 78 participating venues across Northern Ireland and Ireland. Drivers can grab two soft drinks from the Coca-Cola range for free, by simply make themselves known to bar staff!

To help get the message out, social media star and disability activist, India Sasha has joined the campaign to raise awareness across Northern Ireland and encourage all of us to be the Designated Driver this Christmas.

 Speaking at the launch of Designated Driver in Belfast, Head of Roads Policing, Graham Dodds said: “The Police service is pleased to support the launch of this year’s Designated Driver campaign. To date this year, 57 people have tragically lost their lives on roads across Northern Ireland, eleven more than this time last year.

“We all want to celebrate this Christmas season with our loved ones, but I urge everyone to ensure they plan ahead to get home safely this Christmas. The Designated Driver campaign rewards safe drivers and I encourage those going out this Christmas to get involved.

“This Christmas police will continue to use all the powers and legislation at our disposal, including the authorised checkpoints, to detect people who insist on driving after having taken drugs or alcohol. All motorists need to consider the consequences of their actions. Never take the risk of having even one drink if you are driving. The consequences can be catastrophic.

 

“Our road safety message is very simple, follow the Fatal Five, five simple rules which road users should follow in order to ensure they stay safe, these are – don’t drink or take drugs and drive; slow down; don’t be careless; always wear your seat belt and never use your mobile phone whilst driving.”

 

Speaking on behalf of Coca-Cola HBC Ireland and Northern Ireland, Davide Franzetti, General Manager said:

“I am incredibly proud that we are marking 15years of the Coca-Cola Designated Driver campaign of rewarding safe drivers and of partnering with our incredible customers in the hospitality industry who make this initiative possible. This is my first time seeing the initiative in action and I am looking forward to playing my part and being a Coca-Cola Designated Driver over the Christmas period. I want to thank our partners, the PSNI, Road to Zero at Department of Infrastructure, NI Hotel’s Federation, Hospitality Ulster, and our ambassador India for getting this important message to people across the island.”

 

Social media star, disability activist, and Coca-Cola Ambassador India Sasha said:

“I am so excited to be celebrating the real Christmas heroes, our Designated Drivers alongside Coca-Cola. As a recently qualified driver, I’m looking forward to being a Designated Driver for my friends and family over the festive season. There is nothing better than Christmas celebrations and it’s great knowing all your loved ones are home safe.”

Designated Driver is supported by the PSNI, Northern Irelands’ Department of Infrastructure (Road to Zero), NI Hotel Federation and Hospitality Ulster in Northern Ireland.

Designated Driver will also run in the Republic of Ireland for the 19th year with influencer and broadcaster, Miriam Mullins acting as our ambassador. The initiative is supported by the Department of Transport, the Road Safety Authority, An Garda Síochána, Drinkaware, Licenced Vintners Federation, Vintners Federation of Ireland, Irish Hotels Federation and Restaurants Association of Ireland in the Republic of Ireland.

Designated drivers can avail of the two free soft drinks from the Coca-Cola range by simply making themselves known to bar staff at participating venues. Drinks from the range include Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, Fanta, Sprite, Deep RiverRock and Fruice.

Designated Drivers can download the Coca-Cola App to find out more about Coca-Cola’s participating venues.