Cyclists raise awareness of drunk driving
April 18, 2006

By Tommy Graham

Six cyclists from the 180 Energy Cycling Team are scheduling a stop today at the University of Florida's Reitz Union from 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. to raise awareness for the approximately 1,100 lives lost in the state each year due to drunken driving.

The cyclists are touring the state on a "Ride for Survival," which will take them from one end of Florida to the other. The ride is not only in support of April being Alcohol Awareness Month, but also to gain support for the nonprofit education organization known as Stay Alive From Education. SAFE is a group composed of firefighters and paramedics that has met with more than 200,000 youths across the nation to encourage them to "make responsible decisions" about teen driving, drunken driving and illegal drugs use.

The 12-day, 1,100-mile journey is a mile-by-mile tribute to the number of preventable alcohol-related motor vehicle deaths.

The stop in Gainesville is one of six stops the group will make across the state. They plan to meet with the public and the UF Student Government Association as well as the Gainesville Responsible Hospitality Partnership in an effort to raise public awareness and garner financial support for Florida's SAFE program.

"We see this as a healthy approach to show our commitment to be part of the solution to end senseless tragedies," said Lt. Jim Russell, Florida State University Police Department and lead cyclist. "We are cycling across Florida to drive home the message that drunk-driving fatalities are 100 percent preventable."

SAFE also teaches the importance of seat-belt use. Members of SAFE have previously met with students as part of its Street Smart program. They quote the Florida Highway Patrol statistic that indicates more than 66 percent of those who died in safety-belt equipped vehicles in Florida were not buckled up.