MillerCoors Joins Colorado Rockies to Prevent Drunk Driving

ROCKIES FANS GO TO BAT TO PREVENT DRUNK DRIVING THROUGHOUT BASEBALL SEASON

MillerCoors, Coors Distributing Company, Colorado State Patrol and Denver Police Department Partner for Drunk Driving Prevention on Opening Day at Coors Field.

GOLDEN, CO and MILWAUKEE, WIS. (April 9, 2009) – Opening Day at Coors Field will be full of exciting plays, but the most crucial play of the day will be educating fans about the importance of making responsible alcohol consumption decisions. MillerCoors and Coors Distributing Company will join the Colorado Rockies, Colorado State Patrol and Denver Police Department on Opening Day at Coors Field to remind Rockies fans to that they “hold the key” to preventing drunk driving.

As part of the Opening Day program, MillerCoors and Coors Distributing will distribute 1,000 cab vouchers at Coors Field and participating LoDo bars and restaurants throughout and after the game. 

"Through the ‘You Hold the Key, Never Drive Drunk’ program, MillerCoors hopes to involve everyone, including fans, in alcohol management and preventing drunk driving,” Gene Giron, alcohol responsibility manager for MillerCoors, said. “MillerCoors encourages responsible consumption at sporting events and wants fans of the Colorado Rockies to make responsible decisions, plan ahead and always have a designated driver or alternative transportation -- not just on Opening Day, but all season long.”

Scott Whitley, general manager of Coors Distributing Company, said: “We work closely with bars and restaurants to strongly promote and advocate responsible decisions when it comes to alcohol and to take appropriate action, including declining to serve patrons. We take our role as an alcohol responsibility partner with our retailers seriously and we are excited to be part of making Opening Day at Coors Field safer for everyone.”

“The Colorado State Patrol proudly salutes MillerCoors, Coors Distributors, the Colorado Rockies, the Denver Police Department and all sports fans that always have a designated driver or take public transportation if they have been celebrating with alcohol before, during or after a game,” said Lt. Colonel Scott Hernandez.  “Every single injury and death caused by drunk driving is totally preventable.”

“We encourage the community to come and enjoy the Colorado Rockies and the atmosphere of LoDo during baseball season,” Denver Police Division Chief David Quinones said. “We understand it’s a great experience. We also encourage you to put safety first in your plans. If you are going to drink alcohol, have a plan to get home that does not include getting behind the wheel. We are concerned for the safety of all of our citizens, so we will be out in full force looking for drunk drivers.”

“The Colorado Rockies take the issue of alcohol responsibility seriously. Game day should be safe and enjoyable for our fans, both in the stadium and as they travel home after the games,” said Kevin Kahn, chief customer officer and vice president of Ballpark Operations for the Colorado Rockies. “Our combined efforts represent an alcohol management plan in which the fans, ballpark employees, corporate sponsors, and team representatives are all working toward common goals – promoting responsible alcohol consumption, positive fan behavior, and traffic safety.

Coors Light promotion teams will be at participating LoDo bars and restaurants handing out cab vouchers and promoting responsible consumption. Retailers participating in the Opening Day “You Hold the Key, Never Drive Drunk” program include: Scruffy Murphy’s, Sports Column, Coyote Ugly, Fado, LoDo’s, Jackson’s, Falling Rock, Swanky’s, Old Chicago, Maloney’s, Brooklyn’s (Pepsi Center) and Braun’s.

MillerCoors and the Colorado Rockies also partner to increase awareness of responsible alcohol consumption through TEAM (Techniques for Effective Alcohol Management) Coalition. Through TEAM training all the employees in the ballpark including ushers, ticket takers, and security personnel, in addition to concession and restaurant servers, are certified to make sure the alcohol policies at Coors Field are enforced. TEAM also helps promote the designated driver program at Coors Field. Public Service Announcements filmed by TEAM featuring Rockies' players Jeff Francis and Aaron Cook along with Rockies fans air in stadium before each game. TEAM Coalition is an alliance of professional and collegiate sports, entertainment facilities, stadium service providers, concessionaires, the beer industry, broadcasters, governmental traffic safety experts, and others working together to promote responsible drinking and positive fan behavior at sports facilities. This includes professional sports leagues such as Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Basketball Association (NBA), Major League Soccer (MLS), the National Football League (NFL), and the National Hockey League (NHL).

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