Across United States, 1500+ Anheuser-Busch Employees to Leave Offices This Friday in Effort to Promote Alcohol Responsibility

Employees from Coast to Coast Join Colleagues Around the World in Effort

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Sep 21, 2011, 02:50 ET

ST. LOUIS, Sept. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 1,500 Anheuser-Busch employees across the United States won't be at their desks on Friday, Sept. 23. Instead, they'll be out visiting bars, restaurants and grocery stores to promote the use of designated drivers.

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It's all part of Global Be(er) Responsible Day, an annual effort organized by Anheuser-Busch and its sister companies around the world.

"For three decades, Budweiser has been leading the way in the promotion of designated drivers," said Kathy Casso, vice president of Corporate Social Responsibility for Anheuser-Busch. "Our programming to encourage responsible drinking takes place all year long, but on Global Be(er) Responsible Day our employees are making an extra push to spread the message in partnership with wholesalers, retailers and many other partners."

TAKE THE PLEDGE

Casso encouraged adults to show their friends they care by visiting Budweiser's Facebook page, www.facebook.com/Budweiser, clicking on the "Bud DD" tab and pledging their support of designated drivers. Where legal, consumers who take the pledge may be eligible to win a prize from Budweiser.

"The vast majority of adults enjoy our beers responsibly and we have made progress in reducing drunk driving," Casso said. "So let's all work together so we can keep moving in the right direction. By visiting Budweiser's Facebook page and signing up to be a designated driver, you can show you support the important role that designated drivers play in enjoying the great times."

HARVICK SPREADS ALCOHOL RESPONSIBILITY MESSAGE

NASCAR driver Kevin Harvick will debut a special "Designate a Driver" paint scheme for this Sunday's race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Visit Budweiser's Facebook page to watch a video from Harvick about Global Be(er) Responsible Day. Harvick enters Sunday's Sylvania 300 with four wins, eight top-five and 14 top-10 finishes in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) competition so far this season and currently leads the NSCS driver point standings.

DESIGNATED DRIVER FACTS

In conjunction with Global Be(er) Responsible Day, new research from GfK Custom Research North America was released showing promising news in the area of designated driver use and awareness, including that 64 percent of American adults − or 141 million people 21 + − have been a designated driver or have been driven home by one.

The 2011 Designated Driver poll also showed that 86 percent of respondents think that promoting the use of designated drivers is an excellent or good way to help reduce drunk driving. The full survey results are available at www.alcoholstats.com.

LIFE-SAVING RESEARCH

On Thursday Anheuser-Busch will host in St. Louis a meeting of a working group of the Traffic Injury Research Foundation, an independent group of law enforcement experts, at its corporate headquarters. The group recently released a report, Effective Strategies to Reduce Drunk Driving, and will be in St. Louis to continue their research as they search for proven strategies to reduce drunk driving on American roadways.

A lot of progress has been achieved in reducing drunk driving, according to the group's 2010 report, but experts agree there's still more work to be done.

TIRF's ground-breaking research on the nation's DWI system has been supported by Anheuser-Busch for more than 20 years.

ABOUT ANHEUSER-BUSCH

Based in St. Louis, Anheuser-Busch is the leading American brewer, holding a 48.3 percent share of U.S. beer sales to retailers. The company brews the world's largest-selling beers, Budweiser and Bud Light. Anheuser-Busch also owns a 50 percent share in Grupo Modelo, Mexico's leading brewer. Anheuser-Busch is a major manufacturer of aluminum cans and has been a leading aluminum recycler for more than 30 years. The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev, the leading global brewer, and continues to operate under the Anheuser-Busch name and logo. For more information, visit www.anheuser-busch.com.

SOURCE Anheuser-Busch