06/08/2026
Drink driving also kills careers, relationships and family lives.
That's the message of our new campaign focusing on the everyday consequences of driving under the influence.
Over the last year, 1,435 people were convicted of drink or drug driving offences across the county.
Although many caused no physical harm to anyone else, they will all have faced very serious personal and professional consequences as a result of their conviction and driving ban.
It is those everyday consequences that are the focus of the new campaign, which focuses on the experiences of three distinct characters, all of whom are struggling with the shame, embarrassment and inconvenience of losing their licence.
They are:
• A middle-aged mum trying and failing to entertain a young child at home
• A young man struggling to own up to his girlfriend about his conviction
• An older man squirming with embarrassment as he catches up with an old acquaintance on the golf course
Each of the characters features in a short, light-hearted social media video designed to make people think about the consequences of a drink-driving conviction on their own lives.
Their stories are also reflected in other digital and print materials, including beer mats, posters and table talkers in licensed venues across the city and county.
Sergeant Jim Carrington, an experienced roads policing officer who features prominently in the campaign, said: "I've arrested a lot of drink drivers over the years and also heard just about every excuse under the sun.
"Many of those people haven't actually hurt anyone, but the impact on their life going forward is always very significant.
"I distinctly remember one young lad who I arrested after someone else crashed into him. He was breathalysed as a matter of routine and found to be over the limit after having a couple of drinks with friends.
"He had wanted to become a police officer and knew straight away that the mistake he had made was going to cost him a lot more than a fine and a driving ban. It completely destroyed any prospect of him becoming a police officer and will also have hurt his chances in a lot of other roles.
"He hadn't caused the kind of death and destruction I have seen all too often in my career, but he had killed his future career prospects.
"And that's why I am supporting this campaign, because I want people out there to think about the consequences a drink-driving conviction could have on their own lives and take appropriate precautions to avoid one."
