Community Corner

Memorial Day: Don't Drink and Drive, Says New Local Ad Campaign

Unified Prevention Coalition, with support from local police, have launched an advertising campaign in movie theaters in an effort to stop young adults from drinking and driving.

Coming soon to a theater near you: Fairfax area advocates and police on the big screen warning moviegoers not to drink and drive.

The ads are part of a campaign launched Wednesday by the Unified Prevention Coalition of Fairfax County (UPC) and local police to curb drunk driving among young adults in advance of the Memorial Day holiday weekend.

The ad campaign is part of the UPC's efforts to encourage drivers ages 18 to 24 to not drink and drive. The ads were unveiled Wednesday and shown to students and parents at a UPC-sponsored "Perils of the College Drinking Culture" forum at the Annandale campus of Northern Virginia Community College.

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Around 320 crashes in Fairfax County are blamed on drunk drivers between the ages of 15 and 24, according to the UPC.

“Our research shows that the summer months beginning this weekend are often dangerous times on the roads, so we hope to draw attention with these ads,” said Sara Freund, UPC deputy executive director, in a statement.

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The 15-second video advertisements (see video above) — which warn drivers about the frequency of sobriety and dwi checks in Fairfax County — will be shown at movie theaters throughout Fairfax County. Print versions of the ads will also appear in all Fairfax Connector buses and other locations starting in June.

Watch the second video ad on the UPC website.

The ad campaign is supported by the Fairfax County Police Department and local police departments from the City of Fairfax, George Mason University, Herndon, Northern Virginia Community College and Vienna.

The videos were created by Falls Church-based advertising firm Focused Image.

For more information about the campaign, visit www.unifiedpreventioncoalition.org.


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