Here is the pre-watershed version:

Road Safety Minister Paul Clark said, “If you are involved in an accident while not wearing a seat belt then your body experiences a series of three collisions damaging vital internal organs.  This campaign reminds drivers that – no matter how short their journey or how slowly they are driving – they are risking their life if they set off without putting their seat belt on.

“I hope this campaign will help everyone realise that they need to belt up every time they get in a car.”

With recent research showing that drivers are less likely to belt up on low speed, short journeys on familiar roads, the £1.3 million THINK! Campaign hopes to show that drivers are still risking their lives.  Drivers are twice as likely to die in a crash if they do not wear a seat belt and if everyone belted up, one life a day could be saved.

The full advert can only be aired after 9pm due to its graphic content.

The television advert warns motorists that police can spot the involuntary signs of someone being under the influence of drugs if they are stopped. These signs include severely dilated or constricted pupils.  The advert shows a car carrying several young people with their eyes enlarged, adding: “Your eyes will give you away.”

Young men aged between 17 and 29 are thought to be most likely to drive while on illegal drugs.  Indeed, a recent survey in Scotland suggested that 81% of clubbers have driven whilst under the influence of illegal drugs.

The Department for Transport (DfT) estimates that as many as one in five drivers or motorcyclists killed in road accidents may have an impairing drug (legal or illegal) in their system.   Transport Secretary Lord Adonis said in a recent interview, “Whatever one’s views on drug taking, we’ve got to make it absolutely socially unacceptable to drive while under the influence of drugs, because it can kill.”

Police currently use a Field Impairment Test (FIT), which can include asking the driver to close their eyes and estimate when 30 seconds have passed.  Drugs impair the body’s internal clock so drug users tend to be very inaccurate.  Other tests include standing on one leg, touching your nose with the tip of your finger and walking heel-to-toe whilst counting the steps out loud.

Police officers can take a suspect to a police station to perform blood and urine tests to confirm their suspicions.

France and Germany have a zero tolerance approach to driving and drugs – driving does not have to be impaired, simply having illegal drugs in one’s system when driving is an offence.  Roadside saliva tests are used to check for the presence of drugs.

Brake, the Road safety charity, has welcomed the £2.3m campaign but has called on ministers to approve a breathalyser-style drug-testing device.   However, there is not yet a roadside testing device that can detect the wide range of drugs that drivers may have taken.  Cathy Keeler, deputy chief executive of Brake said, “The government has been dragging its heels on approving a roadside testing device even though police in countries like Germany are already using saliva wipes to catch lots of drug drivers.

“There are already some devices out there that can identify some of the most common drugs people take and there’s really no reason for the government to wait for some perfect device to detect all of them.”

Anyone caught drug-driving currently faces the same fate as those caught drink-driving: a minimum one year driving ban, up to six months in prison and a £5,000 fine.

Examples of the effects various illegal drugs can have include:

Cannabis - distorts a driver’s perception of time and distance so other vehicles seem closer than they really are.  Cannabis users often struggle to do two things at once, like changing gear and steering.

Cocaine - causes feelings of over-confidence which leads to aggressive, risky driving at high speeds.

Amphetamines (e.g. speed) – impair coordination and make drivers less likely to react to potential hazards.

Ecstasy - causes blurred vision and poor judgement.  Use may also lead to extreme anxiety and paranoia.

The television advert released last week focuses on illegal drugs, but other aspects of the campaign in print and on the internet will also address the issues surrounding legal prescription drugs, which can also be very dangerous when driving.  The rule with these is to ‘always read the label or ask a doctor or pharmacist’.  At this time of year, antihistamines used in hay fever remedies often cause drowsiness and reduce reaction times.  Anti-depressants and tranquillisers are also potentially risky.  Some ‘over the counter’ remedies such as those for colds an flu can also have unwanted effects.

Viewers of the campaign have given a mixed response – these are just two examples found on the BBC forums:

“Once again more money wasted attempting to prevent the impossible. Most accidents are caused by people not paying attention to what they are doing, or worse, not caring what they are doing. DD of both kinds (Drunk and Drugs) cause a small percentage of the 3000 deaths a year on the roads in this country.

To decide whether or not nick someone based on pupil dilation is ridiculous!!”

“Drink and drugs are clearly not good starting points for anyone driving. But if the object is to save lives on the road surely we should be improving the standards of driving among those that cause between 80 and 90% of the accidents. Which is to say the drug and drink free majority.”

However, a week later she was reinstated after Greater Manchester Chief Constable Peter Fahy reviewed the case. ‘Exceptional personal circumstances’ has been given as the reason for her reinstatement.

The decision has caused outrage amongst road safety campaigners.  A spokesperson from Roadpeace accused the Chief Constable of “sending out the wrong message”, whist a spokeswoman from Brake commented: “The police have got some explaining to do if one day a driving offence is deemed dangerous enough for a person to resign and the next day it is not.”

The research finds one in 3 male drivers, compared with one in 7 female drivers, admit they drive 35mph or faster in 30mph zones every day or several times a week. At 35mph you are twice as likely to kill a child compared with driving at 30mph or slower.

The gender gap is even larger on rural roads. One in five male drivers, compared with one in 16 female drivers, say they drive faster than 60mph on single carriageway rural roads every day or several times a week. In the last couple of weeks, the Government said it was considering plans to reduce the speed limit on rural roads to a default 50mph and many Local Authorities are already reducing speed limits on such roads to 40mph or 50mph due to the fatal consequences of high speed single-vehicle or head-on collisions, often on bends or brows.

When it comes to driving on motorways, men are nearly three times more likely to speed. One in five male drivers, compared with one in 14 female drivers, say they drive faster than 80mph on motorways and dual carriageways every day or several times a week.

The findings are reflected in official offence rates. Eight of 10 drivers found guilty of speeding offences are male according to figures published by the Ministry of Justice [1].

The faster you go, the less time there is to avoid a collision, and the more likely the collision will be fatal. More than nine out of 10 (93%) of convictions for causing death or bodily harm by driving are against men [1]. A significant proportion of these convictions are for speed-related bad driving offences.

Tim Coats, professor of emergency medicine, University of Leicester, says: “When it comes to speeding, which is one of the biggest killers on our roads, men are undoubtedly the biggest group of offenders. The Government is clearly right to target its campaigns at men. Brake urges all drivers, but particularly men, to kill their speed and save a life.”

Professor Steve Stradling, professor in transport psychology at Napier University, says: “While generally less adept at hand-brake turns, women drivers are better drivers than men in so far as they are more capable of paying attention both to the road and to their speedometer and are less likely to kill or maim themselves or others when they get behind the wheel. By refraining from harsh acceleration and sustained high speed women drivers are also doing less damage to the planet.”

Maggie Game, Head of Direct Line Car Insurance, says: “Speeding is still endemic, especially with male drivers. One in three male drivers are willing to speed in 30mph zones, predominantly in built up areas where pedestrians, including children are likely to cross roads. Drivers need to think about their actions, and by driving 35mph rather than 30mph they are twice as likely to kill a child.”

Along with the Commission for Integrated Transport and the Motorists’ Forum, Brake supports the introduction of ISA; satellite controlled speed technology that limits the speed of a car electronically. Brake also supports lower speed limits, particularly 20mph limits in residential areas as well as low limits on rural roads.

Liam Stagnell, 21, from York, received serious brain injuries on 14 September 2007 when he was a passenger in a car driven by his workmate, Tom. They were hit by an overtaking speeding car as they emerged from a junction. Liam is amazing doctors with his recovery. The overtaking car driver was found guilty of dangerous driving and received a prison sentence of a year, with a three-year driving ban.

Liam says: “The crash has destroyed the family. They are coming to terms with it now but it ripped us all apart. I am still finding it hard to come to terms with how my life has changed. My mum’s life has changed dramatically because she cares for me and visits all the time.”

Both Liam and Dawn Stagnell, his mum will be available for interviews about the effect of road death on families’ lives.

For more information, and interviews with Brake or Liam and Dawn Stagnell, call Helena Houghton on 01484 559961 or email news@brake.org.uk

(NB: Liam and Dawn are available for pre-record interviews or after 3.30pm on Friday 3 April)