Calling for safe driving behavior to protect children and also in support of the Chinese government's recent crackdown on drunken driving, German luxury car manufacturer BMW announced its 2009 Children's Traffic Safety Education program .

At the opening ceremony last month in Shanghai, BMW appealed to every driver to regulate their behavior and contribute to making the road a safer place for children and society.

"In China, BMW focuses on building and maintaining a safe and harmonious environment on the road and is committed to the enduring promotion of road safety education," said Crystal Gu, head of public relations for BMW Brilliance Automotive Ltd.

"For five consecutive years since the launch of the BMW Children's Traffic Safety Education program, more than 100,000 children have obtained the knowledge essential for safety on the road. However, it takes a joint contribution from all of you, and even the whole community, to make the road a safe place," Gu said.

In the first half of this year, 222,000 people on the Chinese mainland were found driving under the influence of alcohol, up 8.7 percent over the same period last year, according to statistics.

In Beijing, driving under the influence was responsible for the loss of 97 lives in accidents during the first six months of this year.

China's Ministry of Public Security in August launched a two-month campaign against drunken driving.

The campaign focuses on stopping suspected drivers and vehicles. Confirmed offenders will face severe penalties, the Ministry said.

At the BMW program announcement in Shanghai, the program's guests, including parents and children, left their fingerprints on a commitment wall that said: "Keep Family at Heart, Don't Drink and Drive".

"The task of maintaining safety on the road is an enduring and difficult one, and it requires positive contributions from all walks of life. We are delighted to see that BMW has been a contributing partner to traffic safety, as it spares no effort promoting road safety education," said Zhang Donghai, commander of Squadron No 3 of the traffic police detachment of the Shanghai Putuo Public Security Bureau.

"We expect to see more enterprises like BMW coming up with ways to focus attention on safety on the road," Zhang said.

As part of its program, BMW created a traffic safety theme park, which features a game created by BMW to simulate real road environments.

At the theme park, every child was asked to choose among a variety of choices shown in pictures of food, drinks and alcohol before mounting the car.

Children who chose alcohol were given an immediate lesson on the dangers of drinking and driving.

Professional trainers also asked the children to "urge their parents not to drive after drinking".

Chen Fan, a Shanghai television hostess attended the event with her daughter.

"Children get to learn a lot of essential knowledge about traffic safety, which both raises their safety awareness and has the effect of supervising and urging their parents to comply with traffic rules," Chen said.

"Refusing to drive drunk not only safeguards the driver's life and property, but also adds to the assurance and harmony of their family. If each household, as a fundamental component of society, complies with traffic rules, it would help turn the road into a safer and more harmonious place for all," she added.

BMW also handed out brochures on safe driving designed by Shanghai traffic administration offices.

This year, BMW also is continuing its partnership with the China National Children's Center to stage "I'm A Little Traffic Safety Pioneer", a safety training camp that will involve more than 6,000 children at 250 kindergartens in 18 cities.

(China Daily 11/16/2009 page10)