RED RIBBON EFFORT UNDER WAY

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has declared this week National Drunk and Drugged Driving Awareness Week.

The observance started Saturday and continues until Friday, reports the Cape Girardeau Community Traffic Safety Program. During this week the Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD) red ribbon campaign is working to bring attention to the issue. Motorists are asked to tie a red ribbon on their vehicle to remind the public to not drink and drive, the traffic program said.

The event is sponsored locally by the newly formed MADD Community Action Team, Procter & Gamble Paper Products Inc., and the Cape Girardeau Community Traffic Safety Program.

During this week over 10,000 ribbons, supplied by Procter & Gamble Paper Products, will be distributed through the Cape Girardeau and Jackson police departments; St. Francis Medical Center and Southeast Missouri Hospital; Central, Notre Dame and Jackson high schools; Southeast Missouri State University; and the Procter & Gamble diapering booth in the Venture court at West Park Mall.

Drunk driving causes more violent deaths and injuries than any other crime, the program said. In 1990, it said, 22,084 lives were lost to alcohol-related traffic accidents and an additional 362,000 people suffered injuries. The program stressed the tragedies caused by impaired drivers far exceed the dollar amount associated with accidents and fatalities and touch the lives of countless people.

While planning your holiday festivities, the traffic safety program asks you to please remember these important tips:

Designate a driver before leaving for a party.

Drive a friend home yourself. The details of getting the car back can be worked out later. The important thing is getting home safely, the program said.

Call a taxi. The program notes the cost of a cab is much cheaper than a driving while intoxicated offense.

If you are having the party, remember to have non-alcoholic beverages for your guests. Also, provide plenty of food and encourage designated drivers, or have friends spend the night at your house.

This is the fourth year for the local red ribbon campaign, but the first sponsored by MADD. The organization participated in the past.

For more information about the red ribbon campaign or the MADD Community Action Team, contact Sharee Galnore at the traffic safety program at 335-7908. Polly Holten, of Procter & Gamble Paper Products, can be reached at 651-9249.