Free drinks for drivers at nine Exeter venues in festive road safety push

In a bid to cut drink-driving during the festive season, more than 260 pubs and venues across Devon and Cornwall will offer free soft drinks to designated drivers throughout December, including nine sites in Exeter.

The Lift Legend scheme, run by the Vision Zero South West road safety partnership, encourages people who are driving on nights out to stay alcohol-free by giving them a complimentary soft drink at participating venues.

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Drivers tell staff they are a “Lift Legend” and receive a voucher for a free drink after buying their first.

The Exeter businesses taking part this year are:

• The Dolphin, Burnthouse Lane

• The Daisy Café, Fore Street, Heavitree

• The Star Inn, Whipton Village Road

• Samuel Jones, Commercial Road

• The Lucombe Oak, St Thomas

• Mill on the Exe, Bonhay Road

• Ship Inn, Martin’s Lane

• Mercure Exeter Rougemont Hotel, Queen Street

• Revolution Exeter, Queen Street

Police recorded more than 2,000 drink-driving arrests in Devon and Cornwall last year.

Figures from the Vision Zero partnership show 25 people have been killed and 253 seriously injured in collisions involving alcohol impairment between 2020 and 2024.

Adrian Leisk, Head of Road Safety for Devon & Cornwall Police, said alcohol affects drivers differently and warned that people can still be arrested even if they are under the legal limit if officers believe they are not fully in control of their vehicle.

Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez said the wider consequences of a drink-driving conviction, including an automatic one-year ban and long-term impact on employment and insurance, are "still not hitting home for some people."

The scheme runs across December at participating pubs, clubs and restaurants in the South West.