With beer power comes great responsibility. Having a drink or two with our friends is something we enjoy, but what we do not enjoy is being reminded that having a good time can have serious consequences. We are here to limit those consequences, by promoting responsible drinking and by proving that checking one’s alcohol levels CAN be fun.
Beer is the most popular alcoholic beverage all across Europe – and Poland is no exception. Unfortunately, even though a lot has changed, the problem of drunk drivers still takes its sad toll. Every year, irresponsible drivers cause more than 2 000 road accidents - the summer months, with the warm weather and social events such as concerts and festivals, being the most hazardous. Therefore our leading Polish beer producer, Kompania Piwowarska, succeeded in coming up with the idea to provide drivers with an opportunity to check their alcohol levels easily and to make it fun. Enter the “Check Your BAL” zone!
Sobering Experience
This one truly special zone is a touring event Kompania Piwowarska introduced to festivals and events selling their products. Just last year, it appeared at 13 of the biggest summer outdoor festivals, including the Pol’and’Rock Festival, Audioriver, Tyskie Beerfest, the Air Show in Radom and Roztańczony Narodowy. Its main goal - providing the visitors with professional breathalysers to check their sobriety - is taken to a whole new level with added contests, challenges and animations. For example, the creators came up with the “alco-goggles challenge”, during which people get to wear special vision-distorting glasses simulating the effects of excessive alcohol use. Wearing them and trying to complete an activity as simple as putting a key in a door lock can be, let’s say, a very “sobering” experience.
Since 2015, when Check Your BAL was launched, the zone has visited 42 events in total, during which 230 000 people used a professional breathalyser test to check whether they could drive, and another 70 000 took part in the specially prepared animations. It might be unusual to see a row of drivers gladly standing in line to test their blood alcohol level, but it just shows how effective communicating serious topics in a humorous way can be. And, more than often – it is the only effective way to do so.
