THINK! Pint Block 2021 (drink drive campaign)

Organisation: DfT THINK! campaign
Date of Launch: August 2021
Date Uploaded to Knowledge Centre: 1 September 2021

THINK! relaunched its ‘Pint Block’ campaign to help spread the message among young male drivers that ‘a mate doesn’t let a mate drink drive’.

First launched in December 2019, Pint Block encourages young men to step up and intervene to stop mates drinking before driving.

The 2021campaign launched on 26 August and will run until 3 October. This summer and autumn phase will be followed by a further burst of activity from November 2021.

The COVID-19 pandemic changed the landscape of socialising and hospitality. During this period, THINK! observed a decrease in young male drivers agreeing that it’s very risky to drive over the legal alcohol limit.

THINK! says this – along with the wider lifting of restrictions in July, the increase in indoor and outdoor socialising, and the return of traffic back to pre-pandemic levels – means there are now more opportunities for young male drivers to drink drive; which is why they are reintroducing the Pint Block campaign.

The campaign targets male drivers aged 17-24 years because they are four times more likely to be killed or seriously injured on the roads than male drivers aged 25 or over, making them an extremely high-risk group.

THINK! says that currently only two thirds of this group believe the risk level associated with driving while over the legal alcohol limit is very high – compared to three quarters in April 2020.

Pint Block assets include three films showing mates intervening with the ‘Nunchaku’, ‘Wrap Party’, and ‘Volcano’ Pint Blocks; and four animations depicting colourful and creative Pint Blocks: ‘Crazy Golf’, ‘Scarecrow’, ‘Mexican Wave’, and ‘Levitate’.

THINK! has also partnered with LADbible to produce a short film in which YouTuber Max Fosh pranks his drink- driving friend by performing the ultimate Pint Block, ‘boldly sending his mate’s drink and car keys where no one has gone before!’. The film will be shared on LADbible’s Facebook and Instagram pages.

THINK! is promoting the campaign with paid spend across social media, online video, and digital out of home, as well as posting on its organic channels.

THINK! asked road safety teams to support the campaign by sharing its posts and/or downloading assets from the THINK! campaigns’ page and sharing them on their own channels.

Click here to download the campaign assets and toolkit.