Morrissey asks Weymouth bars to take part in Hero Campaign
By Ed Baker
Wicked Local Weymouth
Weymouth — Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrissey is asking local bars to join the Hero Campaign to prevent drunk driving and tragedies by asking patrons to be designated drivers.
Morrissey said during the Dec. 17 town council meeting that 60 people died on Norfolk County roads last year because of drunk drivers.
“Norfolk County communities are safe, but what we do see is the amount of people that are maimed and killed on the roads,” he said. “The Hero Campaign encourages people to drink responsibly and have a designated driver.”
A New Jersey couple, Bill and Muriel Elliot, founded the Hero Campaign in memory of their son John Elliot, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate who was killed in 2000 by a drunk driver. Information about the Hero Campaign is available at the group’s website, herocampaign.org.
Morrissey said bars that join the Hero Campaign would have an employee ask a group of patrons to state who is going to be the hero or designated driver when they leave. The designated driver is then awarded a free soft drink and a wristband with the inscription “Be A Hero,” according to Morrissey.
“The New England Patriots are the leader in the NFL with encouraging people to have a designated driver,” Morrissey said, adding that every establishment at Patriot Place that serves liquor participates in the Hero Campaign, which should help decrease the amount of drunk drivers on Route 1 after a game. “The Patriots hope to have 25,000 designated drivers involved. They are taking this seriously.”
Morrissey said the Hero Campaign is an attempt to get restaurants or establishments that serve liquor to police themselves.
“We want to encourage the establishments in the town to join the campaign,” he said.
More information in this report is available in the Dec. 19 edition of the Weymouth News.
