Just in time for the Labor Day holiday weekend, more than 100 billboards featuring two Michigan State Police (MSP) troopers and a message that reads, "Thanks to You…Seat Belts & Designated Drivers Save Lives" have been placed across the state. The initiative, unveiled today by the Michigan State Police, Anheuser-Busch and its 34 wholesalers in the state, aims to help keep Michigan roads safe and prevent drunk driving. The billboards feature Tprs. Brody Boucher and Marco Jones of the MSP Lansing Post.

"This billboard campaign focuses on two simple steps drivers can take to prevent traffic deaths - wearing your safety belt and not driving impaired," stated Col. Peter C. Munoz, director of the MSP. "The timing of this campaign coincides with our annual Operation C.A.R.E. (Combined Accident Reduction Effort) program that encourages safe driving during busy holiday travel periods. We are grateful for the support of Anheuser-Busch and their Michigan wholesalers for helping us reach motorists in this visible way."        

"Our company shares the same goals as the State Police- saving lives and preventing drunk driving," says Carol Clark, vice president of Corporate Social Responsibility for Anheuser-Busch Cos., St. Louis .  "This proactive effort involving all of our Michigan wholesalers allows us to be part of the solution, especially as many families take to the road for their last weekend of summer travel."

Anheuser-Busch is the global industry leader in promoting responsibility, with ads dating back to the early 1900s that carried the tagline "Budweiser Means Moderation."  Since 1982, the company and its 600 wholesalers nationwide have invested more than $675 million in alcohol awareness and education programs and partnerships.  In 2007, for the fourth year in a row, the company ranked first in the beverage industry for social responsibility in FORTUNE magazine's " America's Most Admired Companies" and "Global Most Admired Companies."  More information about Anheuser-Busch's responsibility efforts is available at www.beeresponsible.com.

Operation C.A.R.E. is a nationwide traffic safety initiative that began in 1977, of which the Michigan State Police was a founding member.  Today, it includes state police and highway patrol agencies from all 50 states and Canada.

The official Labor Day holiday weekend begins at 6 p.m., Friday, Aug. 31, and runs through midnight, Monday, Sept. 3, 2007.  Last year in Michigan, there were seven fatal traffic crashes, which resulted in seven deaths over the Labor Day holiday weekend.