Mates for Life 2022

THINK! research shows that 8 in 10 young men agree it is unacceptable to drive over the legal limit and note personal responsibility to intervene, but almost a third say they would feel uncomfortable asking a friend not to drink when they were driving.

This winter, THINK! is re-launching the Mates for Life campaign to empower friends to intervene if the moment arises with the message ‘A mate doesn’t let a mate drink drive’.

The campaign leads with the Mates for Life film which illustrates a young man urging his friend not to drink and drive by reminding him of the lifelong friendship and adventures they are yet to have. This follows last winter’s successful campaign which saw a decrease in the proportion of young males saying people who they know drink drive and two thirds of those who saw the campaign taking action as a result, including intervening to stop drink driving.

The films will run across Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, Snapchat, video on demand and online video in 30, 20, 15, and 6 second lengths. The campaign is also supported by our of home assets in pubs, universities, gyms and sports clubs, allowing targeting closer to the moment of risk.

To help amplify our ‘Mates for Life’ message, THINK! have partnered with drinks producer Diageo. Campaign activity will drive audiences to Diageo’s new ‘Wrong Side of the Road’ tool, which provides an interactive online experience to learn about the consequences of drink driving. Partnership content will also go out on Diageo’s Guinness channel, which encourages friends to not drink drive this Christmas, and instead opt for their non-alcoholic 0.0% alternative.

Follow @THINKgovuk On Twitter, @THINKroadsafety on Facebook and @thinkdriver on Instagram to discover and share more content from the campaign or download at the links below.

Assets supplied are free to use for educational purposes, however if used in a paid-for capacity (particularly outside of the national campaign period) usage fees may apply.

To download any of the videos below,  select your chosen video, which will bring up the video player. Click on the ‘Vimeo’ logo in the bottom right of the video player and head to our Vimeo page, where you can download directly.

The facts

  • Drink driving is illegal and puts lives at risk.
  • It is not possible to say how much alcohol you can drink and stay below the limit. The way alcohol affects you depends on:
    • your weight, age, sex and metabolism (the rate your body uses energy)
    • the type and amount of alcohol you’re drinking
    • what you’ve eaten recently
    • your stress levels at the time
  • So if you’re driving, it’s better to have none for the road.
  • IAM RoadSmart calculates that a drink drive conviction could cost up to £70,00 as a result of fines, solicitors fees, increase in the cost of car insurance, and losing a job.

The law

There are strict alcohol limits for UK drivers:

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the legal alcohol limit for drivers is:

  • 35 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath
  • 80 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood
  • 107 milligrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of urine

In Scotland (from 5 December 2014), the legal alcohol limit for drivers is lower at:

  • 22 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath
  • 50 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood
  • 67 milligrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of urine.

The consequences

There are strict penalties if you are convicted of drink driving, including:

  • a minimum 12 month driving ban
  • a criminal record
  • an unlimited fine
  • up to 6 months in prison
  • an endorsement on your licence for 11 years

The maximum penalty for causing death by careless driving when under the influence of drink or drugs is 14 years in prison, with a minimum driving ban of two years.

In addition to these penalties are the everyday consequences of being caught drink driving which can include:

  • increase in car insurance costs
  • job loss
  • trouble getting in to countries like the USA
  • the shame of having a criminal record
  • loss of independence