At Christmas most of us like to party - with work events, family celebrations and nights out there is much fun to be had. After all ‘tis the season to be merry’. But not too merry. According to government statistics over 90% of us think it’s unacceptable to drink and drive and would feel ashamed to do so. Yet despite these figures it appears a small proportion of drivers are still getting behind the wheel after a few drinks.
Targeting those drivers with a hard-hitting message this festive season, the Department of Transport’s Think! campaign has launched, aiming to challenge perceptions about who we think a drink driver is.
Liz Brooker, spokesperson for Road Safety GB, said: “The combined efforts to tackle those who choose to drink and drive have been successful over the years. But some people still think of a drink driver as someone who drinks copious amounts and gets in the car. They don’t realise that they could be a drink driver too, by having a small amount to drink and taking to the road."
The new campaign will show various likely scenarios where someone might consider driving after having two drinks and it pulls no punches in showing the deadly consequences that can occur.
In one ad, we see Malcolm celebrate a promotion and after succumbing to peer pressure he accepts a large whisky - his second drink of the evening. The result is fatal. We then quickly see how different things could have been if he had the courage to say 'no'.
The next scenario sees a wife asking to be picked up from the station during heavy rain, and getting angry when her husband - who has been drinking - refuses to drive. The strapline reads “In the doghouse, but alive”. And in a ‘sliding doors’ moment the ad also shockingly depicts the worst possible outcome underlining the statistic which says that a second drink can double the chance of having a fatal collision.
Re-enforcing this finding Sarah Sillars, the chief operating officer at the Institute of Advanced Motorists, added: “Many of the people we work with on our drink-drive rehabilitation courses aren’t repeat offenders – many are drivers who thought that a second one couldn’t hurt.”
The research also showed that the proportion of those likely to drive after 2 drinks increased among men aged 18 to 34.
What Does the Law Say?
England and Wales
80 milligrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood
35 microgrammes per 100 millilitres of breath
Scotland
50 milligrammes per 100 millilitres of blood
22 micrograms per 100 millilitres of breath
Most of Europe
50 milligrammes per 100 millilitres of blood
