Why pay?

EVEN though I’m heading up the #zerohero incentive I have realised that there have been a couple of times I didn’t think about my alcohol level before driving home.

In my case, as with many others, just one glass of wine will be enough to put me over the limit and potentially carry a punishment, if stopped.

The permitted alcohol levels in Spain are far less than in the UK and not only can we get a fine but also lose serious points on our driving licence. That is a better scenario though than someone getting hurt as a consequence of our imprudence.

It’s precisely when we’re in a booze assisted good mood that we can get so caught up in the moment that this happens, so having a little reminder might not stop everyone, but it might remind a few.

It’s for this reason that I want to take this opportunity to thank the Linea Directa Road Traffic safety foundation for sponsoring our disposable breathalysers to help get this community project going. Doing the alcohol test to claim your free drink as the designated driver is fun and for those who don’t pass the test, it may not stop them driving but it does give a clear visual which might just help for the next time.

The Línea Directa Foundation is a non-profit institution created in 2014 by the Línea Directa Insurance Company as the statistics clearly showed road safety in Spain needed much improvement. Under the slogan ‘Road Safety. Here and Now’ the aim is to reduce, if not eliminate, traffic accidents and victims on our roads to zero whilst promoting responsible driving habits through four areas of action: diffusion, research, training and social action.

Our #ZeroHero initiative is one of these social activities that hopefully provides that gentle reminder.

Our local businesses are not legally responsible for how we drive after leaving their premises, but I’m proud to say that all our #ZeroHero partners actually care about us and not just your money.

So if you are the designated driver when out with your partner or friends, why pay if you don’t have to? Why not be recognised as the hero that you are and choose a #ZeroHero venue?

There is a full listing of participating partners from the website with many places in Marbella but now also Estepona, Mijas and others along the Costa!  All personally tried, tasted and recommended.

I’d very much appreciate it if you could also talk to your favourite restaurants, bars and clubs to get them involved too:

Driving comes with responsibility, but we have become flippant and so perhaps we really do need a few nudges here and there. However as my daughter said in the UNMS2016, it would be more appreciated if they were nice nudges, with rewards for the responsible ones, for the #ZeroHero and again, why pay if we don’t have to?

PS.- A big thank you to our Costa Women for also supporting this initiative #bettertogether #roadsafety #zerohero

www.nicoleking.es • www.zerohero.es

Nicole King’s opinions are her own and are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or sponsors.