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Auto Club Warns Sports Fans of DUI Consequences

(LOS ANGELES, July 25, 2010) – The Automobile Club of Southern California has produced two public service announcements that starting tomorrow will be broadcast during Angel and Dodger home games and will be used by Southland hockey teams when their seasons begin.
 
The public service announcements which use light humor to convey the serious consequences of drinking and driving will be shown at the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Anaheim Ducks and the Los Angeles Kings team games.  The Auto Club is a sponsor of each of these teams. The safety messages are expected to be shown periodically on the Fox Sports Network, courtesy of the Los Angeles Angels, and also on KOCE, Ch. 50, during Rick Reiff’s show, beginning the first week of August.
 
“More drivers are arrested for DUI infractions in July than during any other month,” said Auto Club Senior Vice President of Public Affairs Alice Bisno.  “The Auto Club cares deeply that fans return home safely each and every time after being out for the day or evening by having a plan before going out.  They can also designate a sober driver for their group and carry money and phone numbers to arrange for a taxi, if needed.”
 
The first 30-second PSA shows pictures of people while words to “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” are displayed sing-along style. The service announcement shows more and more people drinking and then the song’s phrase “I Don’t Care if I Ever Get Back” is displayed.  The picture shatters, fades and crashed cars remain under the statement, “Maybe you should care…”
 
The second PSA uses specific downbeats of a popular sports chant to show wine, beer, and hard liquor sloshing in glasses and sliding across screen.  Subsequent frames identify the costs of a DUI conviction, including fines, fees, insurance costs, and lawyer fees popping up on screen.  The total cost of a DUI conviction -- $12,176 – is dropped onto the screen timed to the highpoint of the chant.  The DUI conviction cost is then shown with a person in handcuffs, with the word “Charged!”
 
Safe driving and more DUI prevention information can be found at AAA.com/safetymatters. The online information includes drinking myths, facts, non-alcohol recipes, and also describes in more detail fees and fines that result from of a DUI conviction. 
 
The Auto Club reminds drivers that it is a misdemeanor to drive under the influence of any alcoholic beverage or drug, including prescription medications.  As of July 1, 2008, all licensed drivers in California are required to sign a declaration acknowledging the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.  If a person is killed as a result of a DUI, the driver can be charged with murder.
CST 1016202-80 Copyright © Automobile Club of Southern California. All Rights Reserved.
The Automobile Club of Southern California is a member club affiliated with the American Automobile Association (AAA) national federation and serves members in the following California counties: Inyo, Imperial, Kern, Los Angeles, Mono, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Tulare, and Ventura.