More people than ever before in Switzerland opted to be driven home by the Red Nose service during the festive month of December. The organisation said that young people below the age of 30 were their biggest clients.

Since December 8, some 3774 volunteers drove home 7980 people who had drunk too much alcohol to be able to drive themselves. The group said the volunteers covered a distance of 150,319 kilometres in the process.

Red Nose reported a 34 per cent increase in the number of requests for lifts from 3198 in 1999, to 4275 in 2000.

New Year's Eve 2000 also saw a marked increase in business, with nearly 1000 journeys completed.

The number of young people relying on Red Nose for a safe ride home has risen strongly. In certain regions, 18-30 year-olds represented the majority of passengers.

The National Road Safety Foundation has announced that it will no longer sponsor Red Nose. However, the ever-popular service will go ahead next December thanks to financing from the lottery and the health ministry.

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