Plan for a safe ride home this holiday season

Operation Red Nose - Call us, we'll drive you in your own car for free

EDMONTON , Nov. 6 /CNW/ - Again this holiday season, Operation Red Nose (ORN) and Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) - supported by hundreds of volunteers - are making sure partygoers and their cars get home safely.

During the holidays, plan your safe ride home. Operation Red Nose encourages you to celebrate responsibly by designating a sober driver, staying overnight or calling a relative, a cab or ORN for a ride.

ORN will get partygoers home safely in their own vehicles for free. In Alberta, the service will be offered on weekends from November 27 to December 31 in three communities: Edmonton , Fort Saskatchewan and Lethbridge.

The ORN program is recognized in the province as an excellent and practical way for communities to fight impaired driving during the holiday season.

"Our goal is to keep the festive season festive by preventing the needless tragedies that result from impaired driving," said Jeff Haley , Manager, Government Affairs, Insurance Bureau of Canada . "Operation Red Nose is a natural extension of our industry's long-term commitment to road safety, and we are delighted to be a part of this important program again this year."

Operation Red Nose and volunteers

Operation Red Nose would not be able to provide its safe-ride-home service in Alberta without the help of hundreds of volunteers who donate their time as drivers, phone operators and coordinators during the busiest time of the year.

"Volunteering for Operation Red Nose is certainly a tangible way to serve your community while having a great time during the holidays," said Jean-Marie De Koninck, Founding President of ORN.

ORN invites everyone in Edmonton , Fort Saskatchewan and Lethbridge to experience this service as a volunteer for one night - or more! Anyone interested in volunteering can download an application form at www.operationrednose.com.

Operation Red Nose in Canada

The famous Operation Red Nose service will be bringing its program to Saskatchewan for the very first time this year. A total of eight provinces will be hosting the campaign in 2009: Nova Scotia, New Brunswick , Quebec , Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia. Altogether, more than 100 communities across Canada will be offering the ORN service this holiday season.

Since 1984, no less than 787,940 Operation Red Nose volunteers have provided a total of 1,506,421 rides in Canada . In Alberta, 1,270 volunteers took part in the 2008 campaign, providing 1,754 rides to partygoers in the province. The ORN service is free, but donations are accepted and will be given to local youth or amateur sport organizations.

Insurance Bureau of Canada is the national industry association representing Canada's private home, car and business insurers. Its member companies represent nearly 95% of the property and casualty (P&C) insurance market in Canada . The P&C insurance industry employs over 110,000 Canadians, pays more than $6 billion in taxes to the federal, provincial and municipal governments, and has a total premium base of $38 billion .

For further information: For Operation Red Nose, please contact: Aurélie Levy, Director of Communications & Marketing, Operation Red Nose, [email protected], [phone]; For Insurance Bureau of Canada, please contact: Ellen Woodger, Insurance Bureau of Canada, [phone], [email protected]