South Africa

Gotcha! 'One-for-the road' pop-up pub was really a safety drive

12 December 2018 - 11:40 By Odwa Mjo
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The One on Nicol pop-up bar on William Nicol Drive in Bryanston, Johannesburg, caused consternation and anger on social media until it was revealed to be a safety campaign to raise awareness of drunken driving.
The One on Nicol pop-up bar on William Nicol Drive in Bryanston, Johannesburg, caused consternation and anger on social media until it was revealed to be a safety campaign to raise awareness of drunken driving.
Image: via Twitter/On_nicol

A pop-up "drive-thru" bar that has been set up on the side of the busy William Nicol Drive in Johannesburg to serve drinks to drivers and passengers on the go has caused much public confusion.

Citizens had concerns about the legitimacy and safety of the establishment and many took to social media to air their concerns. As it turns out, though, it was all part of a campaign.

The pop-up bar is a campaign to create awareness about drinking and driving, a partnership between alcohol abuse not-for-profit organisation Aware and the Road Traffic Management Corporation. 

Aware said no alcoholic beverages were served at the mobile bar.

To change people's thinking on responsible consumption of alcohol before driving or walking home, decades of habits and culture need to be changed, said Ingrid Louw,  CEO of Aware. 

"There is a propensity for people to shrug off the responsibility of road safety when they've 'only had a few drinks'. They'll say, 'I'm fine to drive,' or 'I've only had one or two'," Louw said.

The campaign went all the way and featured a video about the build-up to the pop-up bar.

Many on Twitter were outraged by the pop-up bar but little did they know:

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