Drunk soccer fans will be offered a free taxi ride home after watching World Cup matches at downtown bars and pubs, traffic police said yesterday.

Police said the scheme, called "Send Me Home," will promote responsible driving and stop people driving under the influence.

The taxi service is one of a series of activities that will run from this month to October to promote responsible driving and raise awareness of the dangers of drunk driving. The program is run by the local traffic police and sponsored by drinks giant Diageo.

The company owns brands including Johnnie Walker and Guinness.

The company said it wants to promote sensible drinking and warn customers not to drive after drinking.

After important World Cup matches, the company will pay for Dazhong taxis to pick up soccer fans too drunk to drive home at bars selected by traffic police.

Names of the bars were not released yesterday.

Police said yesterday two people were killed and two injured when two cars collided in Nanhui District early yesterday morning.

The victims had just finished watching a World Cup game, police said.

Police said they did not know if either of the drivers were drunk.

(Shanghai Daily June 22, 2006)