The road accident that cost the life of a 21-year-old young man last week shocked all of Monaco. Young people and parents. Adrien Deverdun and two friends, Julien and Thomas de Bie, feel particularly concerned. These three young people from Monaco, a Frenchman and two Dutch brothers, created the company Deep Klassified, specialized in the organization of musical events. And the first event for this young company will take place on 28 and 29 July at the Grimaldi Forum, featuring two nights of electronic music.
In Search of Breathalyzers
They were already sensitive to the problem of alcohol. “In Holland, we have Bob, the equivalent of the ‘capitaine de soirée’ in France,” explains Julien de Bie. “Bob does not pay for the entrance to the evenings, leaves the car keys at the entrance, enjoys free soft drinks and, on his way out, blows into the breath test to get the keys.” All this thanks to the help of the State. His brother Thomas adds: “There are also companies that will bring back partygoers’ cars to their homes. It does not cost much because it is subsidized by the government.”
As organizers of the end-of-the-month event, called the ‘Deep Klassified Music Festival,’ they took preventive measures such as getting breathalyzers and instructing hostesses to keep an eye on the clubbers. The fatal accident last weekend accentuated their concern and their willingness to do everything possible to prevent a party animal from getting on the road in a state of intoxication.
“We’re looking for 800 breathalyzers,” begins Adrien. “We made a request to the Department of Social Affairs and Health.”
“We also contacted the CAM (Monaco Bus Company) to ask them to provide a night bus that could bring people home between 3 am and 5 am,” Thomas replied. “We also decided to fund two eight-seat shuttles to ensure the return,” says Julien.
They also solicited the Sûreté publique, or public safety department, so that blood alcohol controls can be strengthened around the Grimaldi Forum these two evenings of electro festival. In short, these three do not take the problem lightly. When asked to comment, the government responded in a communiqué that they welcome “the initiative of the organizers to ensure the safety of the participants at the end of the evening.” However, they pointed out that “in the case of a private and commercial event, it is up to the organizer to take over the distribution of breathalyzer tests or to set up a night bus service specifically for its customer base.” In this regard, the government invites them “to actively collaborate with, among others, Monegasque Road Prevention.”
The Sûreté publique, for its part, will be “mobilized to prevent any regrettable incident.” Without help from the government’s side, the best way for the organizers to procure 800 breathalyzers at a lower cost is to go to Marseille.
