EUROPEAN NIGHT WITHOUT ACCIDENTS
Third Saturday in October | October 16, 2021 On the occasion of the EUROPEAN NIGHT WITHOUT ACCIDENTS P(A)T launches the video #ObjectivoCero (GoalZero)
On October 16, the EUROPEAN NIGHT WITHOUT ACCIDENTS is celebrated throughout Europe with the aim of raising awareness and preventing victims of traffic accidents among young people.
The “EUROPEAN NIGHT WITHOUT ACCIDENTS” was created in Belgium in 1995 by the association RYD (Responsible Young Drivers) and since 2003 has the support of the European Commission, extending to 28 member countries and is held on the third Saturday of October, with the aim of disseminating the figure of the designated driver.
P(A)T has joined this initiative, raising awareness through art. To do this we have gone to driving schools where students who are taking their driving license have listened to the testimony of a victim of a traffic accident from which they have made a series of reflections that have led to the lyrics of the song: #ObjectivoCero.
It is a collaborative song between driving schools in Reus, Tarragona, Barcelona and Lleida. The students of each driving school have made a piece of the lyrics with the help of the workshop leader Carlos García.
We wanted to approach young people with a language close to them, making them reflect, but at the same time encouraging them to actively participate in preventive action.
On the occasion of the European Night without Accidents, we release today, Saturday, the awareness video #ObjectivoCero, that shows the result of the reflections of the young people who have collaborated in the elaboration of the lyrics, turning it into a rap song.
The entrenchment of alcohol and the increasing consumption of drugs in our society makes it difficult to raise awareness and change social customs is a difficult challenge but we must try. This way of spending leisure time involves, among other things, an alteration of the set of ethical and road rules that shape coexistence. We must ask ourselves about the type of responsibilities we have to assume as citizens and especially in our relationship with public roads, vehicles and alcohol and other drugs, and seek formulas that improve this relationship and encourage the most appropriate behaviors. In short, we must work to demonstrate that it is possible to be young, go out at night and on weekends and have fun without having to consume alcohol and other drugs.
The European Night without Accidents was born after observing the accident rate data, the huge number of young victims in traffic accidents, especially on weekends in all European countries. According to European Parliament data in 2019, 12% of people killed on EU roads were aged between 18 and 24, an age group comprising 8% of the European population, meaning that young people are disproportionately more likely to be involved in a fatal road accident.
While it is true that fatalities among this age group have decreased by 43% since 2010, it is important to continue to impact this group. The #ObjectivoCero project promotes the figure of the designated driver, encouraging the rotation of drivers on weekend nights with a commitment not to drink alcohol or consume other drugs in order to drive safely and be able to drive their friends safely.
We want to spread a culture of responsible mobility and beyond the actions of this day, which we strongly support, we want to emphasize the importance of adopting a total incompatibility between alcohol and drugs and driving, encouraging dissemination and awareness actions to avoid the disastrous consequences of traffic accidents and being able to enjoy a healthy and fun leisure and a safe and responsible driving.
Let us all make the night of October 16 an accident-free night and one of many more in which we do not have to regret the death or serious injury of any acquaintance, friend or family member.
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