HAWTHORN coach Alastair Clarkson has spoken of the anguish of losing his brother in a drink-driving accident 28 years ago as part of a new initiative to promote responsible behavior among young adults.

Clarkson appeared on Wednesday at the launch of the Wingman campaign, a Victorian Government program encouraging young people to look out for their friends while having a night out.

The AFL Coaches Association is partnering with the government and other sporting bodies to help promote the campaign's message.

Andrew Clarkson was 24 when he was killed in a single-vehicle incident on June 1, 1984. He had been drinking at a party earlier that evening.

"If he had had someone looking out for him that night he may not have lost his life," Clarkson said.

The death of their second oldest child devastated the Clarkson family. Alastair, later a North Melbourne and Melbourne player and later still a premiership coach of the Hawks, was 14 at the time.

"In that era, it was a time where your gender was actually questioned if you couldn't be tough enough to drive home after you’ve had a few drinks," he said.

"Even if you questioned a mate about driving home, then you weren't a genuine mate because (of the suggestion) he wasn't tough enough either.

"That was just the culture of the '70s and '80s," he said.

Clarkson grew up in the tiny western Victorian town of Kaniva and estimated that three talented footballers in the region were killed in car accidents each year in which alcohol was a contributing factor.

"I think it’s a fantastic initiative and has been needed in our community for a long period of time," he said of Wingman, which will be promoted by several AFL senior coaches in a series of messages on the scoreboards at Etihad Stadium and the MCG for the rest of the AFL season.

"To actually take responsibility for your mate means looking after him in all circumstances.

"Alcohol is such a damning thing in our society that if it can't be managed properly and if you can't have people around you to help manage these things, then you have bad outcomes like what happened in my family."

Clarkson, who deferred comments on how the Hawks were faring until his weekly media conference on Friday, still drinks alcohol from time to time, but said his brother's death "has affected me greatly with how I manage it and understand the effect it can have on others."

And he said Hawthorn had long had what he called "an alcohol game plan" that mapped out when it was appropriate for players to have a drink.

The policy is shaped by the professionalism of the players and their recovery between matches. It also deals with how the players should handle late nights out and the nightclub scene.

"These sorts of things have been indoctrinated into our footy club but not just because of my experience, in fact there are others who have far greater influence than me," he said.

Netball Victoria and the Victorian Amateur Football Association were also represented at the launch, emphasising the strong grassroots element to the program.

Victorians are encouraged to take the Wingman pledge at facebook.com/champmoves, with prizes including two tickets to this year's Grand Final and a training session for a local club to be taken by a senior AFL coach.

You can follow AFL Media senior writer Ashley Browne @afl_hashbrowne.