Small Island: Anti-Drink Drive Campaign launched

The new anti-Drink Drive campaign was launched this week. Working in partnership with Guernsey Police and the Specsavers Creative team, the new campaign focusses on the concept of “It’s a small island” with the aim of getting people to think about the close-knit community we live in and how there’s no excuse for drink driving.

On average 92 drivers are convicted each year in Guernsey. The Commission’s Drug and Alcohol Strategy Co-ordinator Andrea Nightingale said this figure had remained fairly consistent since 2010.

‘We have targeted the summer and Christmas periods in the past, but we are looking to continue the message throughout the year as the shoulder months are equally concerning.’ The campaign will run during 2020 using traditional and social media as well as a series of new radio adverts.

Guernsey Police Roads Policing Inspector Tom Marshall said drink driving remained a scourge on island roads. ‘The idiocy of getting behind the wheel after drinking beggars belief. Despite repeated campaigns and society largely rejecting it, we still find people who think it is acceptable. It is not.

‘Drink driving puts the driver and everyone they pass in danger – it is simply unacceptable to behave that way. Our message remains simple: get a taxi, catch the bus, designate a driver or walk. Just don’t drink and drive.’

The Specsavers’ Creative team, including Naomi Bishop, Geoff Alderman and Elliott Mariess, wanted to create a campaign which was hard-hitting, engaging but, most importantly, specific to islanders. Naomi said: ‘We know how close-knit the Guernsey community is, so the campaign is based on the fact that we are always in close proximity to each other. We hope it makes people think about their actions and the potentially devastating impact drink driving can have on our community. It's a small island. There's no excuse for drink driving.’

See the campaign resources here.