RADD – Recording Artists, Actors and Athletes Against Drink Driving – has joined forces with members of Australia’s Olympic team in the latest round of messages designed to help save young lives on Australian roads.
Among the Australian Olympians who have donated their voice to the RADD cause are swimmers Ian Thorpe, Petria Thomas, Grant Hackett, Libby Lenton, Matt Welsh, Geoff Huegill and Giann Rooney, platform divers Loudy Tourky, Robert Newberry and Matthew Helm, beach volleyball gold medalist from Sydney 2000 Natalie Cook, baseball greats Graeme Lloyd and Dave Nilsson, and basketballers from both the Opals and the Boomers, including superstars Lauren Jackson and Shane Heal.
Lauren Jackson herself has known a few people killed in drink driving tragedies. “It’s really upsetting. It’s painful for the people that are involved and the friends and the families.”
“The best advice I could give somebody”, says Jackson, “is you’ll either be caught by the police or you’ll have seriously changed someone’s future – and if not this time, then maybe next time. People need to remember: you’ve always got a choice. Even if (you’ve) never been involved or never known anybody whose been affected by an accident such as this, … it’s pretty painful.”
According to RADD Project Manager, Dave Carter, “having the support of some of Australia’s finest athletes – particularly in an Olympic year when many of their profiles are at their highest – is a tremendous boost to RADD.”
Carter added, “In just over six months, RADD has had the support of more than 100 different Australian personalities from all walks of life… and that number is growing every week.”
Combined with the support of over 140 radio stations across the country, RADD is giving some serious muscle to the anti-drink driving message in Australia.
Carter says, “This sort of support from personalities and stations alike is much more than we had originally hoped for and we’re very thankful. It’s testimony to the fact that Australians are getting the message that drink driving is no accident – it is preventable. With the voices of some of our Olympic heroes heightening awareness of the dangers of drink driving and reinforcing the message of planning ahead, we’re creating a strong, united front against senseless tragedies on our roads.”
You can download the latest batch of Olympic RADD messages in free audio section