Stig urging drivers to take soft option

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They say he can only be spotted at Christmas parties with the use of mistletoe-coated glasses, but the man in the crash helmet likes to keep his partying and driving separate.

Perry McCarthy, the original Top Gear Stig, was in Belfast to help police ram home the don't drink and drive message with a designated driver scheme.

Coca-Cola is behind the scheme which offers three free soft drinks for a designated driver in a party of two or more.

Last year 200 premises took part in the designated driver scheme, but this has doubled to 400 for the 2008 drive.

With the average cost of a bar split in Belfast hitting the £1.50 mark taking the soft option is not necessarily a cheap night out and the firm is offering the free drinks as an added incentive for drivers to make the responsible choice.

The black Stig was at Benedicts on Belfast's Golden Mile to lend his support as the face - and visor - of the effort.

Perry McCarthy said that he does not listen to power ballads at the wheel

"There is an appeal because I'm not some nanny figure or authoritarian, if there's a party going on I'm normally the centre of it but I don't mix the two - alcohol and driving," he said.

At the top of 'Stigmas' list this year is a 1969 Lamborghini Miura, including an attractive passenger.

However, Mr McCarthy won't be looking for any power ballad compilations as stocking fillers.

"I don't listen to music when I drive, I don't even like people talking in the car, there's enough on the road that needs attention," he said.

He said that "concentration and focus" were the key to good driving on and off the track.

"It amazes me that people still think they can have a drink then drive - you just can't," he said.

Superintendent Roy Marshall, head of road policing development, said their message was simple - drinking and driving kills.

"I do not want officers knocking on doors at any time of the year, but especially over Christmas and the New Year to tell families that a loved one has been killed on the roads, because someone has decided to drive after drinking," he said.

The DoE's chief road safety officer, Harry Green, said 98 people have lost their lives on the roads of Northern Ireland so far this year, "several as a result of drink driving".

"The stark reality behind the statistics and one of the hardest things for victims' families to deal with is that drink driving does not happen by chance," he said.

"Sadly, drink driving happens by choice.

"It's your choice, your responsibility and your fault if someone dies or is seriously injured because you decided to drink and drive."