In an effort to increase awareness and stigmatize irresponsible drinking behavior, especially among high-risk drivers, Responsibility.org today launched Wrong Side of the Road—a new initiative designed to educate and change attitudes among the 21- to 35-year-old demographic who are continually over-represented in DUI crashes and deaths.

“Wrong Side of the Road is a free, interactive learning experience that presents a series of videos where impaired drivers share the life changing consequences of their DUIs,” said Chris Swonger, president/CEO, Distilled Spirits Council of the US. (DISCUS) and Responsibility.org. “By increasing awareness, we can lower instances of irresponsible behavior, especially among high-risk drivers. It’s our sincere hope that one day, this innovative and important program can help ensure no more lives are lost to irresponsible and reckless driving behavior.”

Developed by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and Diageo, and implemented in America by Responsibility.org on behalf of its 11 funders, craft supporters and corporate partners, Wrong Side of the Road will run globally through 2030. Following the panel discussion, attendees watched a demonstration of the program and learned more about the dangers of impaired driving during a Q&A session that included strategies to lower the numbers of impaired driving crashes and deaths.

“Diageo is committed to creating prevention tools that further educate people about the dangers of impaired driving,” said Debra Crew, President, Diageo North America. “It is important that we join forces to combat impaired driving to tackle this behavior. These crashes are completely preventable—no one should have their life changed forever because someone drove impaired. Wrong Side of the Road is an innovative way to get that message in front of high-risk drivers who need to hear it.”

The launch follows the release of the latest data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) preliminary Fatality Analysis Reporting System. The survey estimates, there was an 18% increase in U.S. traffic deaths in the first six months of 2021 when compared to the first six months of 2020 (the highest half-year percentage increase in the history of recorded FARS data), and a separate analysis found in 2020 police reported alcohol-involved traffic deaths increased an estimated nine percent.

While drunk driving fatalities have decreased 36% since 1991, traffic deaths increased 10% in the U.S. from 2020-2021, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The latest data show police reported alcohol-involved traffic deaths increased by nine percent with extreme speeds and low seat belt use noted as additional factors in the noted rise in traffic fatalities.