ARLINGTON, Va., April 21, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility (Responsibility.org), a national not-for-profit funded by America's leading distillers, today launches an important campaign to help #EndImpairedDriving in the Hispanic community. The campaign also recognizes the organization's 25 years of impact in the fight against drunk driving and underage drinking. April is Alcohol Responsibility Month—a great opportunity to raise awareness about impaired driving, an issue that heavily impacts the Hispanic community.
In December 2015, joined by prominent traffic safety and health advocacy organizations, Responsibility.org reached over one million people with the "End Impaired Driving" PSA video campaign. To extend the impact and reach more Hispanics, Responsibility.org is launching a Spanish-language version of the PSA as well as other resources to help Spanish-speaking audiences understand the risk of impaired driving and avoid that dangerous behavior.
To view the PSA and supporting organizations, please visit: http://go-faar.org/20RjFjR
"Impaired driving is a growing concern in the Hispanic community, with car crashes being a major cause of fatalities," said Jeannette Kaplun, Responsibility.org national advisory board member and Founder and Chief Content Officer of Hispana Global "Contributing factors include disparate cultural traditions around alcohol consumption, higher usage of mobile phones and arduous work schedules. Responsibility.org's useful, socially optimized and culturally aware programs offer a valuable resource to help educate and improve outcomes for Hispanic drivers."
Key Statistics around Hispanics and Impaired Driving:
• Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for Hispanics ages 1 to 34.
Source: Center for Transportation Safety (CTS)
• Just in 2013, 2,148 Hispanic drivers were killed in motor vehicle crashes, including 838 (or 39%) drunk drivers (those with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher). Among the Hispanic drunk drivers killed in motor vehicle crashes, 77% were hardcore drunk drivers (those with a BAC of .15 or higher or who have a previous DUI arrest). Sources: NHTSA, FARS 2015
• In fact, more than 1 in 3 Hispanic driver fatalities involve a drunk driver. Sources: NHTSA, FARS 2015
• There is clearly an education gap on how to avoid impaired driving because Hispanics tend to have responsible driving attitudes and beliefs. For example, close to 82% perceive that driving after drinking alcohol is a serious personal safety threat. Source: AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety
A group of prominent Hispanic organizations have joined the campaign to help end impaired driving in the Hispanic community:
• Cuban American National Council: @CNCORG
• Hispanic Heritage Foundation: @HHFoundation
• Las Comadres Para Las Americas: @LasComadresorg
• Latinos in Tech Innovation & Social Media: @Latism
• Latino Student Fund: @LSFund
• League of United Latin American Citizens: @LULAC
• National Association of Hispanic Nurses: @NAHNnursing
• National Puerto Rican Coalition: @NPRCAdvocacy
• Salud Today: @SaludToday
• United States Hispanic Leadership Institute: @TheUSHLI
"The End Impaired Driving campaign reminds the public that driving impaired—in any form—is highly dangerous, and easily preventable through awareness and education campaigns," said Ralph Blackman, president and CEO of Responsibility.org. "Responsibility.org is grateful to have Hispanic community groups and influencers joining us in our efforts to reach more Hispanics."
To help launch the campaign, there will be a media tour and social outreach campaign. Included in the social outreach will be a #EndImpairedDriving #ManejaResponsable blog tour and #LATISM Twitter chat on April 21 at 9 p.m. EDT with participating organizations and top Hispanic influencers.
To learn more about the campaign, visit www.EndImpairedDriving.org/es. Please contact Georgia Cassady or Julie Diaz-Asper to schedule interviews with Jeannette Kaplun or Ralph Blackman.
About the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility
The Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility (Responsibility.org) is a national not-for-profit that leads the fight to eliminate drunk driving and underage drinking and is funded by the following distillers: Bacardi U.S.A., Inc.; Beam Suntory Inc.; Brown-Forman; Constellation Brands, Inc.; DIAGEO; Edrington; Hood River Distillers, Inc.; and Pernod Ricard USA. Recognizing 25 years of impact, Responsibility.org has transformed countless lives through programs that bring individuals, families and communities together to guide a lifetime of conversations around alcohol responsibility and offering proven strategies to stop impaired driving. To learn more, please visit us at www.responsibility.org.