PALMA
YOUNG drivers who do not drink and drive this Friday in Palma will be rewarded with a fuel voucher worth 20 euros.
The Noc-turnos (night-turns) campaign has been signed up to by five of the main clubs and bars on the Paseo Maritimo and a small army of volunteers will be breath testing drivers at the end of the night to assess whether they are entitled to the voucher or not.
This is not the first time the drink drive awareness initiative has been staged in Palma and was launched yesterday by Palma City Council's director general for Social Welfare.
The campaign has been organised in association with the Balearic government, the Spanish spirits industry, Coca Cola and the insurance company Mapfre as part of the ongoing drive to impress upon young people, in particular the 18 to 25 age group, the dangers of drinking and driving.
This year's campaign is also going to advise young people to elect a driver, who remains sober, when they go out and alternate each weekend.
Those wishing to take part in the initiative will be issued with a card on which they will be required to log their alcohol consumption.
They will also have to pass through a breath test every 50 minutes. Those, who come to the end of the night have passed all the tests positively will be rewarded with the petrol voucher and other goodies such as a T-shirt and a free drink - non alcoholic of course.
101 youngsters participated in last summer's Noc-turnos campaign and 92 passed the test.
The remaining nine were eliminated because traces of alcohol, albeit minimal, were found in their blood.
According to recent studies carried out by the Spanish spirits industry, 94 percent of young people consider the rotating driver idea a sensible and practical one.
What is more, 54 percent of those questioned claim to never drink and drive and 61 percent maintain they do not like being driven home by a driver under the influence.
Tito's, Abraxas, Victoria, A Dos Velas and Sarandonga are the clubs taking part in the campaign and, in order to drive the message home, a vehicle mangled in an accident caused by a drunk driver will be hung from a large crane along the promenade so young people can see for themselves that drinking and driving is a potentially fatal cocktail
The Local Police will also be carrying out spot alcohol and drug tests with thousands of people expected to be out celebrating Sant Sebastia this weekend.