A 42-foot sport fishing boat representing the John R. Elliott HERO Campaign for Designated Drivers was among approximately 70 vessels that participated in this year’s Night in Venice boat parade in Ocean City on July 26.

The seaside town’s annual event attracts thousands of revelers to the Ocean City Bayfront. Most of the boats were decorated in serious and not-so-serious displays, with this year’s theme being ‘A Night at the Oscars.’ The parade tours the inland waterway behind Ocean City, and stops in many lagoons along the way.

The HERO Campaign boat displayed banners with the HERO Campaign slogan: “Be a HERO. Be a Designated Driver,” and received cheering support from partygoers on shore.

“It’s a truly unique event and one of the highlights of summer at the Jersey Shore,” said Bill Elliott, chairman of the HERO Campaign. “We were glad to be able to join in the fun while sending our message about the importance of having and being designated drivers.”

The vessel was provided by Patrick Healy, executive vice-president of Viking Yachts, in New Gretna, N.J. Aboard the vessel were Captain Mark Beech, Al and Dawn Uhl of Viking Yachts, Denise and John Hladun of the HERO Campaign, and Bill and Muriel Elliott, co-chairs of the HERO Campaign.

The HERO Campaign, a non-profit based at the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey in Galloway Township, promotes the use of safe and sober designated drivers to prevent drunk driving tragedies. John R. Elliott, who had graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy, was killed by a drunk driver on July 21, 2000, while driving from Annapolis,  Md., to his home in Egg Harbor Township to celebrate his mother’s birthday. The HERO Campaign was founded that year by John Elliott’s parents, Bill and Muriel.

The Ocean City boat parade is based on a summer festival in Venice, Italy, that includes a parade of decorated gondolas. Ocean City’s version includes competition among homeowners who live along the inland waterway and the municipality’s lagoons; the homeowners decorate their houses for the event.

“The people on shore were having just as good a time as those of us on the boats,” said Elliott. “Several of them called out to us, saying they thought our HERO Campaign was a good program.”

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 33,561 people died in traffic crashes in 2012 in the United States (latest figures available), including an estimated 10,322 people who died in drunk driving crashes, accounting for 31% of all traffic deaths that year. In New Jersey, 164 people died in alcohol-related crashes in 2012.

The HERO Campaign forms partnerships with schools, professional sports teams, law enforcement agencies, taverns and restaurants, and community groups in its effort to promote the use of designated drivers.

Over the past 14 years, the HERO Campaign has grown into a major initiative to prevent drunk driving. The Philadelphia Phillies, New York Giants, and New England Patriots all support the campaign by registering designated drivers and serving them free soft drinks at their stadiums. The campaign is now active in seven states.