Laaassstt Caaauwll for alcohaaul! How many times have you heard this phrase bellowed out at about 1:30 a.m. in your local watering hole? My guess is about a few dozen times or so. But how many times have you made the choice of having one more for the road when maybe you've had enough?

The Harborview Injury Prevention & Research Center (HIPRC) and Public Health-Seattle & King County launched "Last Call Seattle" on Thursday May 25 at the Red Door Ale House and High Dive in Fremont. "Last Call" promotes the use of designated drivers and other "safe-ride home" options for drinkers between the ages of 21-34. It is a three-year project to design, implement and evaluate a designated driver and safe-ride home program in the City of Seattle.

The Centers for Disease Control awarded a grant to the HIPRC to determine if these types of programs actually reduce deaths and injuries from alcohol-related crashes.

Forty-three percent of drinkers in this age bracket drink two to four times per week. "Last Call" focuses on this demographic because these drinkers have the highest rates of alcohol-impaired driving and usually drink in clubs and bars on a regular basis. The goal of the program is to promote responsible and safe choices which in turn saves lives by preventing alcohol-related injury and trauma.

"We want people to enjoy themselves but to be safe," said Richard Conlin, Seattle City Council member.

An eye-opening statistic of 20 percent of the people surveyed, who go out to drink, said that they have driven after drinking knowing that they were probably impaired.

Seattleites are hip to driver-designated programs. In fact, 64 percent report being a designated driver in the past 12 months. So what would set this program apart?

"Bars are always going to be a place for socializing. We [the bar owners] care," said Pete Hanning, co-owner of the Red Door. "We want people to drink in our establishments--in our communities."

Hanning represents a handful of bar owners who want to instill ideals in their customers to act responsibly. He also co-chairs a committee on nightclubs which is part of the Mayor's taskforce on Seattle night life. He is a big advocate of community activism.

He believes that building awareness is essential, and it is society's responsibility to remind people that getting home safe is a priority.

"We're doing it in a way that isn't preachy," says Hanning. "If someone has had too much to drink we don't want to 86 them. We want them to come back. We want to ensure their safety home."

(HELEN ANNE GATELY is a student in the University of Washington Department of Communication News Laboratory.)