ST. JOHN’S (February 27, 2017) – Targa Newfoundland is pleased to announce a three year sponsorship agreement with Alcohol Countermeasure Systems (ACS). The deal will provide Targa-related activities and events with alcohol and drug testing equipment, on-site personnel from ACS to oversee and train Targa officials, and ACS having officials on-site to promote products and safety protocol to the public.
ACS will work closely with Targa over the next three years to provide testing equipment to support Targa’s alcohol and drug testing policies and support prevention, education and awareness with respect to impaired driving; working in close collaboration with Targa and other global partners to conduct on-going research and educate and inform the public on the issues related to road safety and responsible driving habits.
“ACS is pleased to be the exclusive alcohol and drug-screening partner of Targa Newfoundland”, states Felix JE Comeau, ACS Chairman & CEO. “Safety is everything with Targa Newfoundland and ACS has always been focused on developing Life Saving Innovations that keep our roads and communities safe. As a Canadian company in operation for over four decades our alcohol and drug testing products are used globally. With Newfoundland and Labrador having the highest rate of police-reported drug-impaired driving rates in Canada and St. John’s being the highest rated CMA (census metropolitan area) for impaired driving across Canada, tools to improve road safety are critical. We look forward to working with the Targa Newfoundland team to ensure a safe event for participants and the general public and the benefits this partnership will create to raise awareness of the significant risks associated with alcohol and drug impaired driving.”
Targa will utilize the ACS ALERT™ J5 Portable Breath Alcohol Tester to detect alcohol usage with its competitors and volunteers. The ALERT™ J5 provides highly accurate breath alcohol test results within seconds and allows the user to store results in memory or print with an optional Bluetooth printer, which Targa will use. All competitors are tested each morning before the start of driving activities. They must blow .00 or face penalty and/or suspension from the event.
The DrugWipe® Oral Screening Tester will also be used for both random and specific drug-testing. DrugWipe® can detect six potential drug groups, including: cannabis, opiates, cocaine, amphetamine, methamphetamines, benzodiazepines and ketamine. The DrugWipe® screening device can detect drugs in saliva, sweat and on all surfaces, with over 97% accuracy.
“The facts don’t lie, and the need is there to increase testing for alcohol and drug use in this province,” explained Robert Giannou, President of Targa Newfoundland. “We have a zero tolerance on alcohol use with our competitors when they are preparing to navigate on our closed stages and public roads, and now we can also test for drugs within their systems. Safety is our #1 priority. Having a three year sponsorship agreement with ACS is going to open so many doors for them and for us, to co-promote and get the word out about keeping our roads safe and having a safe motorsports event. We look forward to dealing with ACS for many years to come.”
Alcohol Countermeasure Systems (ACS) is an international group of companies with over 40 years of experience developing innovative technology to prevent impaired driving. A leading designer/manufacturer of ignition interlocks and breath alcohol testers, ACS provides products and services to law enforcement, automotive, industrial, public and personal safety markets and is the exclusive distributor of DrugWipe® in North America.
For additional information please visit www.acs-corp.com
Owned and operated by Newfoundland International Motorsports Limited, Targa Newfoundland is one of three internationally recognized Targa motorsports events in the world. The 2017 competition will start in St. John’s on September 10th and concludes back in the capital on September 15th. The annual rally will cover more than 1,600 kilometers of the challenging, twisty roads of the central and eastern portion of Newfoundland, including over 440 kilometers of closed-road, flat-out Targa stages.
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Contact:
Media: TargaNL Robyn Moffatt 709-727-8536 robyn@targanl.com
ACS Tony Power 416-619-3500 tpower@acs-corp.com
Competitors: TargaNL Darren Sheppard 1-877-332-2413 registrar@targanewfoundland.com
Websites: http://targanfld.com/ – www.facebook.com/targanl – www.twitter.com/targanl – www.instagram.com/targa_nl
From: Darren Sheppard/ General Manager
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