THINK! Drug Drive (‘Eyes’ – August 2009) Post Campaign Report

Long running campaigns have established a general consensus that drink-driving is socially unacceptable and dangerous, and the general public see drug-driving in the same way; but despite this DfT research shows that drug users are not deterred from driving.

Summer 2009 saw the first major drug drive campaign, giving the issue greater prominence and making it clear that driving while impaired through drugs is an offence.

The education campaign worked alongside a visible enforcement presence – with Association of Chief Police Officers and THINK! co-ordinating timings.

The DfT set out some key objectives:
• Increase awareness of drug driving and clarify the misconceptions around the law and the effects of drugs on driving ability.
• Support and amplify awareness of enforcement campaigns and local stakeholder activities
• Raise awareness of the potential effects of medicine on driving ability while reminding consumers to take their medication as instructed

The campaign aimed to make the facts clear with a longer term aim of making drug driving as socially unacceptable as drink driving among the target audience.

There were three core areas, validated by the research, that were covered through the creative route:

• Impairment: acknowledgement of impaired driving through recreational drug use is low. In some cases there is belief that drugs actually improve driving ability. Any portrayal of the potential emotional consequences of drug driving (i.e. featuring a crash and injury) would be disregarded and deemed only to be relevant to the more hardened drug taker. The ad needed to feature a recognised sign of impairment in a realistic and serious tone.

• Enforcement: there were a number of misconceptions about the enforcement of drug driving by the police and a real desire to be told the facts.

• Consequences
– There was real surprise and shock that the legal penalties and consequences for drug driving are the same as drink driving.