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 Campaign aims to curb drunken driving‘Get a Ride’ program organized by county prosecutor By Marcela Creps 331-4375 | mcreps@heraldt.com
“Get a Ride!” is a campaign developed and organized by Monroe County Prosecutor Chris Gaal. “If you choose to drink, you don’t have to get behind the wheel,” Gaal said during a press conference Tuesday.
Gaal has support from the city, Indiana University Division of Student Affairs and Department of Applied Health Sciences as well as Ivy Tech Bloomington. Citing statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Gaal said 34 percent of all 2005 traffic deaths in Indiana were from alcohol-related crashes. Of adults placed on probation in Monroe County in 2006, 37 percent were convicted of impaired driving. Of those, 28 percent were repeat offenders. Alcohol-related deaths can effect anyone. Blomington Mayor Mark Kruzan said he was surprised when he realized he knew seven people killed by drunken drivers. During the press conference, Kruzan said the message was not meant as a lecture to students. “We don’t view you as our children,” he said. “We view you as fellow citizens.” The campaign logo includes the slogan “Get a Ride! Call a Cab. Take the Bus. Just Don’t Drink and Drive.” It is featured on 10 city buses, inside IU buses, on cards distributed in city neighborhoods as well as on both the IU and Ivy Tech campuses. IU Dean of Students Richard McKaig said the university has started a new education program required by all incoming freshmen. AlcoholEdu is a three-hour course that students can take online. McKaig said he realizes there is no “silver bullet” to solve the problem of underage drinking, but he hoped the program would provide a basic understanding to students about the dangers of drinking. IU Assistant Professor Dong-Chul Seo of the Department of Applied Health Science received a $331,00 grant to fund the online class as well as to research high-risk drinking on campus |
