24 May 2024, Shanghai, China – The “Autosobriety Training Camp” aims to enhance participants’ knowledge about the dangers of drinking and driving by learning and testing. It consists of a dedicated digital training platform for college students to provide them with essential knowledge related to the topics of drinking and driving, alcohol and the law in China and ways for preventing drink-driving. 

The Autosobriety Training Camp aims to help trainees gain an appreciation of the close link between drinking and driving and everyday life, turning them into qualified members of the Gen-RD who strictly adhere to the rule of “No Drink-Driving”. The digital training platform includes different scenarios to deliver knowledge in a friendly and interactive way. In addition, students will have an educational virtual reality video, enabling viewers to experience the influence of alcohol on driving behaviour and the potential risks of drink-driving. 

According to the white paper “Prevention of Drunk Driving in China, in 2021 the country had at least 129 million individuals who reported driving under the influence of alcohol, accounting for nearly 30% of the country’s drivers (2021, Alcoholic Drinks Association, Research Institute for Road Safety of MPS, Foreign Spirits Producers Association). Official figures show that by the end of November 2022, the number of drivers under the age of 25 in China was in the tens of millions, with a growing trend of young students driving to school. It is thus of paramount importance to promote a culture of “No Drink-Driving”. 

To ensure that education to prevent drinking and driving is widely disseminated, a key partner of the campaign is the China Communication Television Broadcasting Network (CCTBN), not only widely promoting the digital training platform across Chinese universities and colleges to strengthen students’ awareness about no-drink-driving, but also introducing the educational VR video to driving schools to provide science-based education.

The Autosobriety Training Camp officially kicks off on 25 May 2024 and will be rolled out in China in collaboration with Pernod Ricard China, CCTBN, and UNITAR’s locally based affiliated training centres CIFAL Shanghai and CIFAL Hubei. The campaign will consist of a month of science-based education both, online and offline, targeting college students across the country. 

Road traffic crashes remain a pressing global issue. “The Autosobriety Training Camp is of great significance as it aims to instil a sense of responsibility amongst Youth that leads to the prevention of drinking and driving”, said Estrella Merlos, Global Head of UNITAR’s Road Safety Training Initiative.

As a responsible corporate citizen, we have always been mindful of the growth and development of young people and are committed to building a better future with Convivialité. We believe that helping college students to always refrain from drink-driving is a practical way to facilitate our vision. Jerome Cottin-Bizonne, CEO of Pernod Ricard China.