The Gloucestershire Road Safety Partnership is launching its 2013 anti drink driving campaign today at SkillZONEÂ as the national number of drink drive deaths increases following decades of steady decline.
The Partnership figures reveal that during December and based on last year’s data, 23 families across the UK will lose a loved one in a sudden, violent and preventable tragedy.
In Gloucestershire last year, 2 collisions every single week involved somebody who took the risk of drinking and driving and from these, 31 people received fatal or serious injuries. Based on these figures, the Partnership is more determined than ever to drive home the anti drink drive message.
This year’s campaign, Eat, Think, Be Merry will combine police enforcement with a broad scale innovative media campaign across the county.
The launch of the campaign will focus on the devastating impact of a serious road collision. The streetscape at Skillzone, the county’s education centre, will be setup to simulate the scene of a crash to illustrate the most serious consequence of combining drinking with driving.
However the personal and social consequences of a drink drive conviction run far deeper than most people think. These can range from imprisonment, to large fines, a loss of a driving license for a minimum of 12 months and a criminal record. The Partnership will be joined by a recently convicted motorist who is willing to share the true affects of a drink drive prosecution.
You can find out more information on the campaign here.
Here is a short video featuring Garry Handley from The Citizens article covering the Drink Drive Campaign Launch 2013.