Drink-drive campaign targets young male motorists

Young men are being targeted by a new £3 million anti-drink drive campaign, which has been launched by Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly.

The new campaign is called 'Moments of Doubt' and focuses on the social consequences of being caught drink driving, rather than previous shocking images of crashes.

The campaign was developed following eleven months of research, which reported that young men did not associate campaigns centered around a shocking crash with drink driving.

The research indicated that they seemed to believe that in order to have a serious crash, the driver had to be drunk, meaning that there was a failure to take on board important messages, such as it can only take a small amount of alcohol to become a drink driver.

The Department of Transport also researched attitudes among the public to drink driving. The research found that only one in ten believed it was acceptable to drive after two pints, but nearly half felt that they were personally safe to drive after two drinks.

One in four said that they would accept a lift from a partner when they knew they had been drinking.

The top three concerns about the legal consequence of drink driving were imprisonment (42%), disqualification from driving (38%) and a criminal record (36%).

Three in ten drivers worry about shaming their family or partner, while one in four would worry about the impact on their employment.

One in five people interviewed also said they would be furious if a partner lost their license through drink-driving, with half the women interviewed expressing this view, compared to only 12% of men.

Commenting on the new campaign, Mrs Kelly said: "Drink drivers are a danger to themselves and others and there is no place for them on our roads.

"Thirty years of sustained government campaigns have successfully changed attitudes and helped to significantly cut alcohol-related road deaths. But extensive research has told us that if we want to have an even greater impact on young men, we need to take a new approach.

"Today's launch tackles this head-on by moving away from traditional shock tactics specifically to engage young men more fully. Moment of Doubt focuses on the shameful reality of being caught drink driving and compellingly demonstrates how it will ruin your life, even if you are not involved in an accident as a result.

"A criminal conviction, minimum 12-month ban and stiff fine are all guarantees - and these will limit both your career prospects and social life. I don't I can be any clearer - if you are planning a night out this weekend, or in the future, have a good time, but if you are drinking, leave the car keys at home."

(KMcA/JM)