Nearly 12,000 people are killed or injured in drink drive related accidents in the UK every year– that’s roughly 33 per day, and the equivalent of around 3 every two hours.

Research has shown that young people’s attitudes towards driving safety are established well before the age at which they legally begin driving (especially under the influence of role models and based on personal traffic experiences).

‘Don’t Be That Someone’ is a campaign taking a pro-active approach to informing 14-18 year olds about the dangers and consequences of drink driving. The campaign also examines issues such as peer pressure, the responsibility of passengers, the after effects of causing serious injury or death, and possible consequences for families and the wider community. Department for Transport (dfT) statistics show that in 2008 (latest figures available) alone an estimated 1,850 car passengers, aged between 16 and 24 years, were killed or injured in road accidents when at least one of the drivers or riders involved were over the legal drink drive limit. Furthermore DfT statistics indicate that in 2008 alone, 860 17- to 19-year-old and 1720 19-24 year old drivers were involved in drink driving accidents.

The 2007 Chief Medical Officer’s (CMO) Annual Report calls attention to the fact that transport accidents are the leading cause of death among 16 to 18 year olds. The Report also cites international studies that consistently find young drivers are much more adversely affected by alcohol than older drivers, even when well within the legal blood alcohol content limit.

As well as increasing the likelihood of risk taking behaviour, alcohol has a greater disrupting affect on young; novice drivers as more conscious consideration is necessary in driving compared to more experienced drivers.

Young passengers amplify the risk even more, both through exertion of peer pressure and distraction. Unlike older drivers, who drive more safely while carrying passengers, young drivers’ crash risk drastically increases when carrying similarly aged individuals; and this risk is proportionate to the number of passengers in the vehicle.

The purpose of this campaign is to reduce the number of drink driving casualties by making people aware of the dangers of drink driving, all year round. Government funded campaigns currently focus on assumed peak accident danger times of Christmas and summer (Whereas DfT Road Casualty statistics show in 2008 that the peak months for road accidents and casualties, related to drink driving were in fact March and August.).

The above-mentioned age group is being targeted to instil good practice as well as sensible, informed attitudes and behaviour towards drink driving as early as possible. At such an impressionable age it is imperative that young people are made aware of the dangers, particularly as they are more prone to risk taking and less able to cope with the physical and mental effects of alcohol than adults. An added benefit of working with, and for, 14 to 18 year olds is that they have proven to be very responsive and motivated in passing on positive messages to others.