In an effort to curb drunken driving, some 25 bars and pubs have geared up with a series of measures to enforce a safe drinking habit. So the moment you step into a bar, you are greeted by a one-minute film, Alcohol Wrong Fuel For Driving, depicting tragic effects of driving after drinking, on plasma screens. And if that doesn’t shake you into sobering down, a 10-page safety manual — Have a Ball, Party Hard, Be Responsible — is also part of the menu.

It lists the Do’s and Don’ts for a safe party, including warning on underage drinking and troubleshooting tips on how to handle awkward situations. This aside, coasters and safety tags will also be supplied to customers to inculcate a safe driving culture.

“We do not want to scare guests away; it’s rather an attempt to explain that we are responsible for their safety — it is our moral duty,” says Rajneesh Malik, director of Hookah. Malik says he has cautioned the staff to refrain from serving more than three drinks to guests. “We will advise guests to be careful after the third drink, though everyone has different tolerance levels for liquor.”

For the festive week between December 24 and December 31, Hookah is among many pubs in the city who have tied up with the Community Against Drunken Driving (CADD), an NGO working on spreading awareness about drunken driving. “This is the most important time of the season and we are taking extra care to ensure guests enjoy the festive spirit responsibly,” Café Morisson director Sidharth Talwar says.

Talwar has advised his staff to keep a watchful eye on guests while serving liquor.

The restaurants plan on keeping a stack of safety booklets at the entrances or handing it over to customers when they pay for their bill. Besides, graphic posters pasted across the restaurant would also convey the message explicitly. Most restaurants who are signatories to this initiative have in the past been associated with similar efforts by CADD.

The organisers, CADD, meanwhile are keeping their fingers crossed. “The number of accidents related to drunken driving rises by nearly 30 per cent to 35 per cent during the New Year,” CADD founder Prince Singhal says. “We hope to lower that percentage by targeting people at the actual point of sale — the pubs and restaurants during the week leading up to the New Year.”