Guinness Nigeria Plc recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) on drink-driving, vision tests, and e-learning partnership.

Managing Director Guinness Nigeria Plc, Baker Magunda while addressing newsmen in Abuja, said the technology was developed to assist the corps in training and testing of drivers and everyone who chooses to drive on Nigerian roads.
“We work with the government and other partners like the FRSC to target specific issue such as drink-driving or excessive driving, with programmes that try to positively change behavior and reduce harm. We took this approach because it is the right thing to do, and because it is in line with our business policy.”

“At Guinness, we are happy to be leveraging technology in tackling drink-driving including the adoption of an e-learning responsible training module which will complement the curricular for training and testing of drivers.“This new product will be deplored as an e-learning modules and everyone who wishes to get or renew their driver’s license will be encouraged to undergo a short term educational tutoring on responsible drinking,” Magunda said.

According to Magunda, the e-learning module will enable people who want to become drivers or those who are looking to renew their licenses an opportunity to learn about drink-driving, as part of their certification for their licenses. He added that the pilot scheme would be deployed first to appointed driving schools but that everyone would eventually be able take the training on their smartphone and tablet in the comfort of his or her home.

Magunda said the company was more interested in saving the lives of their consumer than making profits and such would not relent in educating people on the side effects of consuming too much alcohol. “It is only people that are alive that can buy our brands. So, keeping those who consume our brands alive and safe, is the only way we can sustain our business. “We have a moral duty as those who produce alcoholic brands to ensure that we educate people on the side effect of consuming too much alcohol,” he added.

Also speaking, FRSC Corps Marshal, Boboye Oyeyemi, commended the efforts of Guinness, stating that “They have been very supportive in the cooperate social responsibility they have provided us with the evidence-based digital breathalyzers to test drivers nationwide. The traffic law has provision to test drivers under the influence of alcohol.”

Oyeyemi, decried the increase in road accidents leading to drunk driving and vision problems, noting that a signing such as this, would help mitigate and put a halt to drivers that ply roads under the influence of alcohol and also drivers that have vision problems.
He added that a comprehensive vision test would also be carried out on all the articulated drivers in the country as 30 per cent of them failed a similar test carried out last year.

Oyeyemi assured that the app would also be used to raise awareness in respect to drink-driving, noting that any effort deployed to save one life was worth it since life had no replacement.