Family Pushing Designated Driver Reward Campaign

January 5, 2012 6:27 PM

STOCKTON (CBS13) – A family who lost a beloved relative in a deadly DUI crash is hoping to reward designated drivers at bars and restaurants in the Stockton area.

Mia Douglass said she launched the campaign “Dominic’s Designated Driver” after her brother, Dominic Deiro, was fatally injured in a crash last month.

“We wanted to turn something positive out of such a tragic situation,” Mia said.

Dominic was riding in an SUV with his younger brother and three friends when the driver lost control of the vehicle, slammed into a pole and flipped over. Dominic was taken off life support the next day.

Mia has contacted more than two dozen Stockton area hot spots to ask them to reward designated drivers who wear the campaign’s orange-colored wristbands with free cover, free non-alcoholic beverages and food.

Some businesses have responded favorably. Kevin Hernandez, the owner of Ave on the Mile, said Dominic was a frequent customer and supports the designated driver idea.

“I think the bracelets are great,” Hernandez said. “It’s a reminder, a tangible reminder of what’s going on and to look twice before making a judgement.”

Mia said the family plans on donating bracelets to participating bars and hopes the movement will gain popularity and save lives.

Family Pushing Designated Driver Reward Campaign

Michelle Barbour Randall

This is an excellent idea
Mia Douglass

Our family is very appreciative of CBS Sacramento 13 reaching out to us for this interview and for spreading the word about “Dominic’s Designated Driver” program. Our goal is reduce the number of DUIs and drunk driving related accidents in Stockton and the surrounding areas, and hopefully the program will be able to expand thereafter. If your bar or restaurant would like to participate in this program, or if you know of any bars or restaurants that should be notified, please do not hesitate to contact me. Your feedback and input on this program is highly appreciated. Again, on behalf of my family, thank you so much for all of the love and support we have received in light of Dominic’s death. Hopefully we can turn this negative situation into a better one so that other families will not have to experience the grief and sorrow that we went through.

We also have a Facebook page that I encourage you to join. It is called “Keeping Dominic Deiro’s Memory Alive.” I have also created a webpage (www.dominicdesignateddriver.com). I will continuously be posting updates about the program and other related news on those websites. If you would also like an orange wristband, please feel free to message me as well.
johnathan

It’s a great start. I’m a light drinker and would love this. Too many people take intoxicated (buzz) driving too lightly. Worse, the system does not rightfully punish the offenders aggressively enough to the full extent. Victims don’t get second chances, but offenders do? We see this all too often in the system.
KELLY

EXCELLENT IDEA!!!!