Who’s gonna drive you home tonight?

It’s no secret that we love a glass of wine (or two), but at CN&CO we make it a rule never to drink irresponsibly.

“There’s no reason to drink and drive these days, what with the advent of Uber and Lyft, and the plethora of ‘take-me-home’ services available to us,” says CN&CO’s chief señor (and ardent wine lover) Carel Nolte. “The days of ‘taking a chance’ are over as South Africans embrace a more responsible attitude towards drinking and driving.”

Some alarming statistics came out of the World Health Organisation’s Global Status Report for 2015. South Africa is ranked as one of the most dangerous countries in the world when it comes to road accidents – and 58% of all road fatalities can be attributed to drunk driving!

“It’s not just drunk drivers who are affected,” says Carel. “More often than not, there are innocent lives impacted as well.”

Then there’s the issue of having your licence revoked, going to jail, landing up with a criminal record and/or having your insurance claim for the accident rejected.

“So, all in all, it’s not a good idea,” says Carel.

Europ Assistance CEO Christelle Colman says driver assistance services have done a lot to help curb drunken driving

Imbibers should always make sure they have an alternative means of transport to get home.

Christelle Colman, CEO of Europ Assistance South Africa, urges South Africans to consider using a take-me-home service when they find themselves over the limit. These services provide motorists with the opportunity to be driven home in their own vehicle by a pre-approved driver.

She says the benefits of having driver assistance in place includes personal safety and the significantly reduced risk of being involved in an accident due to driving under the influence of alcohol.

“It is important to find out whether or not you have such a service readily available to you through existing service providers,” she says. “Most insurers and banks offer some sort of take-me-home service as a value-add. It’s a good idea to check if you have access, how many times you can use it per year, and how to go about arranging driver assistance if you need it.

“At Europ Assistance South Africa we have seen a drastic increase in the number of requests for these assisted driving services and it is encouraging to see this behavioural change in South African citizens. However, the statistics show that we still have a long way to go to eliminate drinking and driving on our roads,” Christelle concludes.

So… be a responsible South African. Enjoy a glass or two, but make sure you get home safely!

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