Record number of partygoers use anti-drink driving service

Volunteers - here waiting for calls from partygoers who want to get home without drink driving - are the lifeblood of Nez Rouge, the charity says © KEYSTONE / ADRIEN PERRITAZ

Around 35,000 people used the Nez Rouge (red nose) volunteer driver service in 2018 to get home safely after being out on the town, the charity says.

This is 2% higher than in 2017 and a new record, it said in a statement on January 1External link. In addition, the total number of drives recorded was up by 3% to 16,900 and the number of volunteers on the road rose by 1% to 10,000.

New Year’s Eve remained the busiest day of the year for the volunteer drivers: 1,600 of them ferried 8,800 revellers home safely.

As already announced, around 3,900 people benefited from Nez Rouge’s services on Christmas Eve or Day.

“It’s more than numbers, Nez RougeExternal link is proud of the unstinting commitment of its numerous volunteers,” the statement said, adding that this could be behind the scenes organising the campaign or as a volunteer driver. 

The charity pointed out that the anti drink-driving campaign had come a long way since its beginnings in canton Jura in 1990, in which just 97 drives were undertaken.

Nez Rouge, which runs over the Christmas festivity period until January 1 each year, is now available throughout the country, with the exception of Basel, Graubünden and upper Valais. The idea originated in Québec, Canada.