Drink a Little. Risk a Lot.

In 2022, an estimated 1,920 people were killed or seriously injured in collisions where drink driving was a factor. Young men are over-represented in drink drive casualties, yet are less likely than the general population to say that drink driving is risky.

To tackle this, THINK! is launching a new winter campaign to highlight the consequences of even a few drinks before driving.

50% of young male drivers say they intend to be sensible but often get carried away when socialising, putting themselves at risk. We want to challenge young male drivers’ perceptions around personal limits, by raising awareness that even a little bit of alcohol can put you and your licence at risk.​

The creative uses eye-catching illustrations and animations that show a driving licence disappearing into a pint of beer. Campaign assets highlight the impact licence loss can have on your freedom, social life, even your job, as well as the risk of injuring yourself or others – consequences that research shows resonate strongly with our audience. The campaign will run across Snapchat, Reddit, Facebook and Instagram, online video channels including YouTube and Twitch, billboards within 100 metres of pubs in England and Wales, and beermats and washroom posters in pubs and bars to influence risky behaviour in the moment.

A 30 second advert will run across Kiss, Capital, Radio X and TalkSPORT, podcasts and digital audio channels.

This winter, we are also joining forces with industry to launch THINK! 0%, a brand new, partner-led platform aiming to encourage drivers to always opt for 0% over an alcoholic drink if they’re getting behind the wheel.

Assets are available to download below and are free for organic use. For information on using the assets through paid media channels please contact dftpublicity@dft.gov.uk

Follow the campaign on X, Facebook and Instagram to discover more and share.

To download any of the videos below, select your chosen video, which will bring up the video player. Click on the ‘Vimeo’ logo in the bottom right of the video player and head to our Vimeo page, where you can download directly.

If you would like to use our assets for paid media advertising, you will need to fill out the Usage request form. There may be a usage cost.

The facts

  • Drink driving is illegal and puts lives at risk.
  • It is not possible to say how much alcohol you can drink and stay below the limit. The way alcohol affects you depends on:
    • your weight, age, sex and metabolism (the rate your body uses energy)
    • the type and amount of alcohol you’re drinking
    • what you’ve eaten recently
    • your stress levels at the time
  • So if you’re driving, it’s better to have none for the road.
  • IAM RoadSmart calculates that a drink drive conviction could cost up to £70,00 as a result of fines, solicitors fees, increase in the cost of car insurance, and losing a job.

The law

There are strict alcohol limits for UK drivers:

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the legal alcohol limit for drivers is:

  • 35 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath
  • 80 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood
  • 107 milligrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of urine

In Scotland (from 5 December 2014), the legal alcohol limit for drivers is lower at:

  • 22 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath
  • 50 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood
  • 67 milligrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of urine.

The consequences

There are strict penalties if you are convicted of drink driving, including:

  • a minimum 12 month driving ban
  • a criminal record
  • an unlimited fine
  • up to 6 months in prison
  • an endorsement on your licence for 11 years

The maximum penalty for causing death by careless driving when under the influence of drink or drugs is 14 years in prison, with a minimum driving ban of two years.

In addition to these penalties are the everyday consequences of being caught drink driving which can include:

  • increase in car insurance costs
  • job loss
  • trouble getting in to countries like the USA
  • the shame of having a criminal record
  • loss of independence