Share your Plan B to bag a swag this festive season
The return of warmer weather and the looming end of year mean it’s celebration time for many, and a Transport for NSW initiative is aimed at making this summer the safest ever on our roads.
The Plan B campaign – running throughout December and January - is reminding anyone planning on drinking with family and friends over the holiday period that planning how they’ll get home safely should be a key part of their preparations.
“Summer is a fantastic time of year in Australia and a time when we like to catch up with family, friends and work colleagues,” Transport for NSW Acting Regional Director West Holly Davies said.
“But it’s also a time when some people may be tempted to try their luck behind the wheel after a few drinks, and there is no surer way to ruin a good time out.
“The message is clear: if you plan to drink, plan not to drive and have a Plan B. You might think you’re OK to get behind the wheel but even a few drinks can affect your driving, placing you and others on the road at risk.
“We want people to make planning their trip home as much a part of planning an afternoon or night out as choosing where you’re going or what you’re wearing.
“That might mean leaving the car at home and catching a cab or bus, choosing a designated driver, calling a mate for a lift or deciding to stay the night, but whatever your Plan B is, know it and stick to it – for your sake and the sake of every other road user.”
To encourage safer celebrating this summer, patrons at more than 340 pubs, clubs and bottle shops across western NSW are being invited to enter a competition to win a swag at each participating venue, valued at around $250 each.
Entrants at these participating venues can take part in the ‘Win a Swag’ initiative simply by telling us their Plan B for getting home safely.
“This year will see the most venues we’ve ever had participating in the ‘Win a Swag’ initiative, which started in 2016 with a handful of pubs in Gilgandra and Mudgee and now extends right across the west region with a footprint from Lapstone Hill to Broken Hill,” Ms Davies said.
“Statistics show the devastating impact of alcohol on the state’s road toll, with drink driving playing a part in around 17 per cent of all fatal crashes in NSW from 2018 to 2022 and seven per cent of all serious crashes.
“The impact is even greater in the bush with a little over 50 per cent of all alcohol-related crashes between 2018 and 2022 occurring on country roads.
“The good news is we have seen a fall in the number of alcohol-related fatal crashes from 55 in 2019 to 35 in 2022, but there’s still a long way to go. We all have a role to play.”
The Transport for NSW Win A Swag initiative will run throughout December and January, in partnership with local councils across the state.
Terms and conditions are available at participating venues.