Seychelles Breweries, Seychelles NATION spread road safety awareness to drivers, road users |01 December 2020

This festive season, although it looks to be quite different from the previous as a result of the health restrictions imposed by the Ministry of Health due to the coronavirus pandemic, Seychelles NATION still believes it is important to spread road safety awareness to drivers and all road users.

The objective of this road safety campaign being run in collaboration with the Seychelles Breweries, is to help keep drivers safe on the road.

For the entire month of December, the Seychelles NATION newspaper will bring you a message on page 4 of the daily issue, as well as short videos on its website (nation.sc) and Facebook page. The campaign will run from today, December 1 until December 31, 2020.

Proactive efforts are needed in order to reduce the statistics on road accidents and this is why the Seychelles NATION newspaper and Seychelles Breweries have joined forces to educate the people on the responsible consumption of alcohol and why they should not drink and drive.

Gerard Govinden, chief executive of the National Information Services Agency (Nisa) which publishes the Seychelles NATION newspaper, said “we have a huge responsibility to spread road safety awareness messages to drivers and all road users”.

He added that “road safety issues need to be translated and trickled down to the public through the media. This is why we at the Seychelles NATION feel we have a responsibility to drive those messages through both print and digital platforms. This way we will make sure we reach our readers through their preferred media”.

Seychelles Breweries’ corporate relations manager Mary-Anne Ernesta had this to say: “Last week our parent company Diageo launched its 10-year sustainability action and one of the key themes of the plan is promoting positive drinking. Diageo pledges that by 2030, it will reach more than one billion people with messages of moderation from its brands; change the attitudes of five million drivers towards drink driving and educate over 10 million people on the dangers of drinking underage through the ‘SMASHED’ programme, Diageo’s award winning alcohol education awareness programme, now operating in every continent.

“Within this context, we too at Seychelles Breweries has a role to educate people on the responsible consumption of alcohol.

“As a company, we want to make a significant and sustainable impact on creating a more positive role for alcohol in our society. During the festive season we traditionally focus on Drink Driving but this year, we have broadened our campaign to focus on moderation as well, as we feel that it is important we tackle the subject of alcohol abuse and its associated impact generally.

“We hope that through the increased awareness, people will make the right choices. Enjoying alcohol responsibly is a conscious decision which allows individuals to make choices before they even start to drink. A choice like designating a driver among your friends who won’t be drinking to get everyone home safely, a choice to book a taxi when you have consumed alcohol, a choice not to consume alcohol at all if you are driving. We want people to take seriously the messages highlighted in the campaign – making the right choices will keep you, your friends, family and road users safe!”

Remember when lives are lost in road accidents it brings a lot of grief to family members and friends. Depending on the number of people killed in any one accident, it sparks nationwide anger and grief.

So don’t be a statistic.