50 years of anti-drink-driving ads 'a huge success story'

A police officer breathalysing a driver. Credit: PA

The overwhelming majority of drivers would be ashamed if they were caught drunk behind the wheel, a poll has revealed.

Fifty years on from the first anti-drink-driving campaign, a whopping 91% thought it was a socially unacceptable thing to do and 92% said they would be ashamed if they were caught drink driving.

The poll from the Government's THINK! campaign showed the young (18-24-year-olds) were seven times more likely to think it was fine to get behind the wheel drunk than the those reaching retirement (55-64-year-olds).

However, the number of 18-24-year-olds who thought drink driving was socially acceptable was very low. Only 7% said they would get behind the wheel when over the limit.

Read: Drink-driving limit to be reduced in Scotland

Fozzy view like a drunken person would see it, are the driving instruments of a car shown Credit: PA

Road deaths due to drink-driving have fallen from 1,640 in 1967 to 230 in 2012.

Research from the Automobile Association (AA) found that women are finding it harder to kick the drink-drive habit than men.

According to the AA figures:

  • The likelihood of a male driver failing a breath test after an accident was falling steadily, but the decline in female failure rates was only a third of men's.

  • The number of male drivers who failed a breath test after an accident had dropped by 17.6% between 2010 and 2013 (2,992 compared to 2,466).

  • But the number of female drivers who failed a breath test after an accident in the same time period dropped by just 5.9% (853 to 803).

Read: UK's worst areas for under-18s caught drink driving

The Transport Secretary said THINK! had had a Credit: PA

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said figures showed the 50-year-old campaign was "a huge success story":