The abertis foundation is to set in motion next weekend a campaign to raise awareness among drivers under 30 years old in the Madrid region of the risks involved in driving. Young drivers who give negative results in alcohol checks will be rewarded with the cultural Madrid Card. The scheme, under the slogan “You’ve got one life left. Don’t lose it on the road,” is part of the foundation’s Road Safety Programme and has the support of the  Ministry of the Interior, the provincial delegation of the government, the general traffic directorate, Madrid city council, the Red Cross, the Toledo paraplegic Hospital, Microsoft and different companies in the abertis group.

The campaign was presented this afternoon at the government delegation in Madrid by Amparo Valcarce, the provincial delegate of the government in Madrid; Pedro Luis Calvo Poch, councillor responsible for safety and mobility on Madrid city council; Cristóbal Cremades, provincial head of traffic in the Madrid region; Antoni Riu, sub-director general of education, dissemination and road training at the Directorate-General for Traffic; José Antonio López de la Manzara, a medical doctor at the Madrid paraplegic hospital; Jesús María Mora, president of the Red Cross in the Madrid region, and Sergi Loughney, director of the abertis foundation.

The campaign is to be run on the nights of the next two weekends (July 9, 10 and 11; and 16, 17 and 18). Volunteers from the Spanish Red Cross will accompany the Civil Guard and the Madrid Municipal Police at 20 alcohol checkpoints they will be setting up in the Madrid region and the city itself close to centres of nightlife.

The volunteers will be presenting conductors aged under 30 who give negative results in the test a leaflet with advice on responsible, safe driving. Each leaflet – a total of 500 will be handed out – includes a Madrid Card, giving the holder free entrance to more than 40 museums in the region and special offers in the areas of culture and tourism. They will also go into a draw for an English course in Ireland.