9 December 2013

This Christmas have “NONE for the road”!

Lotus and Police across East Anglia join together this Christmas to present a united front against drink driving.

It’s a sad fact that over the Christmas period more lives are lost on British roads due to drunk drivers than at any other time of the year. This serious issue deserves a strong approach, and to that end, Lotus is working with the region’s police by providing a fully liveried Lotus Evora S to help officers engage with drivers and spread the word about the ‘Fatal Four’ driving behaviours*, which includes drink driving. The principal purpose of the Battenberg clad Evora is to enhance the work of the Lotus driving simulator already in use across the region to engage and educate drivers and road users of all ages.

During December officers from Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire constabularies are taking part in national and European-wide campaigns The activity of stopping and breathalysing drivers at all times of day will be increased in an effort to reinforce the message that firm action will be taken on drink drivers and promote safer road use.

Aslam Farikullah, Chief Operating Officer for Group Lotus plc, said, “Lotus recognises its responsibility to safety, that relates to the safeguarding of our people, our products, our racing pursuits and the wider community. We build cars for people to enjoy driving safely so we are happy to be part of this initiative and hope that strong action like this saves lives and keeps our roads safe for everyone.”

The six forces have reinforced their joint stance by coming together with campaign partner Lotus Cars at its HQ in Hethel, to launch the initiative.

Chief Inspector Chris Spinks, Head of the Norfolk and Suffolk Roads Policing Unit, said: “I would like to express my gratitude to Lotus for the provision of the Lotus Evora police vehicle. This vehicle will be a huge asset in our efforts to deliver road safety messages to our target groups, particularly to young drivers who are disproportionately represented among casualties. I can speak for my colleagues in Roads Policing across the 6 counties of East Anglia when I say that the use of the car across the region will ensure that we maximise our chances of saving lives and protecting road users through education. We already know from our experience of using the Lotus ‘driver simulator’ that the interest generated by a vehicle such as the Evora when it is liveried in police markings is irresistible to a huge cross section of road users, and that in turn affords us the chance to start that conversation around behaviour behind the wheel.“

*Fatal Four driving behaviours are drink driving; speeding; not wearing a seatbelt; and driving whilst using a mobile phone