This year marks 30 years of the drink drive TV campaign, and we've got an EXCLUSIVE look at the first ad.

Plus, find out why two mince pies could lose you your licence.

This month marks 30 years since the first drink driving ads were aired on TV. The fall in the number of alcohol related road fatalities is testament to their success. Between 1979 and 2000, the number of deaths fell from 1,380 to 400.

In 1999 twice as many motorists were breath-tested than in 1989, but 25 per cent fewer tested positive. Much of this success is due to the impact of the ad campaigns, but also due to drink driving becoming less socially acceptable.

This year the police and the Department for Transport (DfT) are spending £1.5 million on an ad campaign to be shown on TV, radio and internet, and in cinemas and pubs.

Transport secretary Douglas Alexander said: "During 30 years of our innovative, award-winning Think! campaigns, we have more than halved the number of people killed in alcohol-related road accidents each year."

"This is a great achievement, but we will not be satisfied until we are sure everyone understands the risk of driving after even one drink.

"What the Think! campaign is saying to drivers is very simple: enjoy the Christmas season, but remember drinking and driving do not mix. With prison sentences of up to six months for those caught over the limit, drink driving is an unnecessary gamble to take."

In December 2005, 9,275 drivers went to court as a result of testing positive for alcohol.

Police are already conducting random road-side checks, and will be particularly targeting young males - the group most likely to drink and drive.

Wiltshire police are displaying a smashed car driven by a drink driver in public places in the run up to Christmas. The 25-year-old-driver was under the influence of excessive alcohol, and died after driving his car into a tree. His three passengers were seriously injured. The force hope the sight of the mangled wreckage will shock potential drink drivers enough to make them think twice.

Remember, even if you're sleeping in your car while intoxicated, you're still technically in charge of the vehicle, and therefore acting illegally.

Self breathalysers, such as the one pictured on the right, are becoming increasingly popular as a novelty item at parties, with people testing themselves to see if they're fit to drive or over the limit.

Both the DfT and the police have expressed reservations about such devices. While they are socially a step in the right direction, they should not be used as definitive proof as to whether you’re under or over the limit.

The biggest benefit self breathalysers have is as a testing kit the morning after a night of drinking, as many people underestimate the amount of alcohol left in their bodies.

A further problem with Christmas drinking is the amount of alcohol in seasonal drinks. It's difficult to tell how much some drinks, such as mulled wine and punch, contain. If you don’t know how many units there are in a drink, it's common sense to assume you can't drive after drinking one.

Alcohol also lurks in Christmas foods such as mince pies, Christmas puddings and trifle. In a recent experiment a military police officer took a breath test after eating two luxury mince pies. It came back positive.

And if you think you've had too much to drink, you probably have.

PC Lee Ellingham of the Metropolitan Police's Traffic Unit says: "Don't try and calculate your limit as you can't. The time it takes for your body to absorb alcohol differs from day to day, depending on how much you've eaten, how much sleep you've had, and your general physical condition. If you're going to drive then don't even have one social drink - it's not worth it."

The simple rule is: don’t drink and drive.

The first drink drive ad

We've got an EXCLUSIVE look at the very first drink drive ad from 1976. You won’t find this anywhere else on the internet.

"Over a quarter of all fatal accidents are caused by drinking drivers", says the narrator, over a soundtrack of 'Roll Out the Barrel'.

Less graphic than the ads of recent years, the ad still packed a punch in the 1970s.

Right click here and 'Save target as...' to see the ad for yourself.

External links

Think! – drink driving
The Department for Transport

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