By Dale J. Venturini
President & CEO, Rhode Island Hospitality and Tourism Association
During the holiday season, as we find so many reasons to celebrate, we discover year after year the terrible effects of irresponsible drinking. On the nightly news and in the morning paper, we hear and read tragic stories about people perishing in car accidents. Some are due to speed; others because passengers were not wearing safety belts. But unfortunately, many are due to drunk driving, a circumstance that becomes increasingly common during the holidays.
Traditionally, the number of car accidents and vehicle-related fatalities associated with alcohol are highest during the months of November and December. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, when last calculated in 2002, over 1,500 fatalities in the U.S. were alcohol related—and this was just during the period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. And last year in Rhode Island, 55% of the 104 lives lost on the road were related to alcohol. Fifty-five percent. That percentage is higher than any other state in the country. But, the most sobering statistic of all is that all of these fatalities were 100% preventable.
The best offense to combating this deadly problem is to establish a good defense. During the holidays when drinking and driving is a top-of-mind issue, it’s critical for hospitality businesses to promote responsible drinking, and to remind employees of the importance of proper alcohol service. I urge all hospitality businesses that serve alcoholic beverages to make responsible alcohol service an utmost priority, both during the holiday season and year-round.
The first line of defense is to provide proper training to every employee, whether they are a bartender, server, bouncer or manager. This June, legislation passed in Rhode Island, mandating all persons associated with the selling or serving of alcohol to complete a nationally-recognized server training program. Now, every server in the state will be taught the skills that define responsible service and will gain the tools needed to prevent sales to under-aged and over-served patrons. Furthermore, all servers in Rhode Island will receive training that offers the three ‘C’s’ of responsible alcohol service: Credibility, Continuity and Consistency.
While the law gives businesses until 90 days from January 1, 2005 to be in compliance, don’t wait until then to ensure that all of your employees are properly trained. And, if your staff has already received alcohol server training, congratulations, but ensuring responsible service doesn’t end there. Now is an opportune time to review your business’s “standard operating procedures,” when it comes to alcohol service. Having a good alcohol service policy is just as important as having a good emergency or fire plan, and reinforcing this policy is a proactive approach in preventing irresponsible drinking. Make sure your employees know that they have the right to refuse anyone whom they think is intoxicated, and can look to you or a manager for support or reinforcement in their decision. Above all, support your employees and follow through with them, so they all understand your business’s policy and feel comfortable with it.
A good action plan should also include contact information from your local cab company, so be sure to keep these numbers handy and readily available. It’s a good idea to build relationships with area cab companies, so you’ll know they’ll be there when you need them.
In addition to a responsible alcohol policy, there are other simple things hospitality businesses can do to encourage responsible alcohol consumption. One idea is to offer free non-alcoholic beverages to designated drivers.
In 2003, Rhode Island experienced the worst year of alcohol-related fatalities in more than a decade. It will take a joint effort from organizations like MADD, the Rhode Island Office of Highway Safety, hospitality associations and business owners to make our roads safer for all. We’re all working together to stop all alcohol related fatalities, because even one tragic death is one too many.
President & CEO, Rhode Island Hospitality and Tourism Association
During the holiday season, as we find so many reasons to celebrate, we discover year after year the terrible effects of irresponsible drinking. On the nightly news and in the morning paper, we hear and read tragic stories about people perishing in car accidents. Some are due to speed; others because passengers were not wearing safety belts. But unfortunately, many are due to drunk driving, a circumstance that becomes increasingly common during the holidays.
Traditionally, the number of car accidents and vehicle-related fatalities associated with alcohol are highest during the months of November and December. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, when last calculated in 2002, over 1,500 fatalities in the U.S. were alcohol related—and this was just during the period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. And last year in Rhode Island, 55% of the 104 lives lost on the road were related to alcohol. Fifty-five percent. That percentage is higher than any other state in the country. But, the most sobering statistic of all is that all of these fatalities were 100% preventable.
The best offense to combating this deadly problem is to establish a good defense. During the holidays when drinking and driving is a top-of-mind issue, it’s critical for hospitality businesses to promote responsible drinking, and to remind employees of the importance of proper alcohol service. I urge all hospitality businesses that serve alcoholic beverages to make responsible alcohol service an utmost priority, both during the holiday season and year-round.
The first line of defense is to provide proper training to every employee, whether they are a bartender, server, bouncer or manager. This June, legislation passed in Rhode Island, mandating all persons associated with the selling or serving of alcohol to complete a nationally-recognized server training program. Now, every server in the state will be taught the skills that define responsible service and will gain the tools needed to prevent sales to under-aged and over-served patrons. Furthermore, all servers in Rhode Island will receive training that offers the three ‘C’s’ of responsible alcohol service: Credibility, Continuity and Consistency.
While the law gives businesses until 90 days from January 1, 2005 to be in compliance, don’t wait until then to ensure that all of your employees are properly trained. And, if your staff has already received alcohol server training, congratulations, but ensuring responsible service doesn’t end there. Now is an opportune time to review your business’s “standard operating procedures,” when it comes to alcohol service. Having a good alcohol service policy is just as important as having a good emergency or fire plan, and reinforcing this policy is a proactive approach in preventing irresponsible drinking. Make sure your employees know that they have the right to refuse anyone whom they think is intoxicated, and can look to you or a manager for support or reinforcement in their decision. Above all, support your employees and follow through with them, so they all understand your business’s policy and feel comfortable with it.
A good action plan should also include contact information from your local cab company, so be sure to keep these numbers handy and readily available. It’s a good idea to build relationships with area cab companies, so you’ll know they’ll be there when you need them.
In addition to a responsible alcohol policy, there are other simple things hospitality businesses can do to encourage responsible alcohol consumption. One idea is to offer free non-alcoholic beverages to designated drivers.
In 2003, Rhode Island experienced the worst year of alcohol-related fatalities in more than a decade. It will take a joint effort from organizations like MADD, the Rhode Island Office of Highway Safety, hospitality associations and business owners to make our roads safer for all. We’re all working together to stop all alcohol related fatalities, because even one tragic death is one too many.
