SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE EVALUATION OF THE 2003/2004 FESTIVE DRINK DRIVE CAMPAIGN
CHAPTER ONE: BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES
1.1 The Transport & Planning Research Team commissioned mruk on behalf of the Scottish Road Safety Campaign (SRSC) to evaluate the 2003/2004 drink drive festive campaign, and the broader 'Don't Risk it' drink drive campaign. The research was commissioned through the framework research contract for advertising research.
1.2 The 'Don't Risk it' drink driving campaign was launched in December 2001 by the SRSC and the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPOS). This campaign is managed by the SRSC as part of its role in providing publicity and support to ACPOS.
1.3 Specific advertising was provided under the 'Don't Risk it logo' with a key audience being young male drivers aged 17-29.
1.4 The specific advertising produced under the 'Don't Risk It' logo ( see Appendix A) was the 'Wheel of Misfortune' poster ( see Appendix B) and radio commercial. The 'Wheel of Misfortune' campaign was specifically targeted at young male drivers. This was produced in response to research which showed that over the previous year about one in twenty drivers had admitted to driving whilst they thought they were over the legal limit. Young males aged 17-29 were found to be the worst offenders, followed by older males 30-44 years. The posters were placed in over 300 bars and pubs throughout Scotland, radio commercials were produced and the 'Don't Risk It' logo was promoted through bus and taxi side advertising. The campaign ran for three weeks in December 2001 and then again to coincide with the summer safety campaign in 2002.
1.5 For the 2002 festive campaign, the message was broadened out to cover the general driving population. The 'Who's Watching' campaign ( see Appendix C) was launched under the 'Don't Risk It' logo. Radio and poster advertising highlighted the likelihood that drink drivers would be caught, and that by using the 'Crimestoppers' hotline any member of the public could report a drink driver to the police. There was also publicity around the fact that if a successful conviction followed, the informant could be paid up to 500. The number of people who rang the Crimestoppers hotline was more than double that of the previous year.
1.6 During the 2002 festive campaign 1,968 breath tests were carried out at the scene of road collisions, of which 151 were positive - these numbers were down on the previous year when 174 drivers had positive breath tests. There was an increase in the number of calls received to Crimestoppers Unit in the festive period in 2003/2004 compared with the previous year. Of the road traffic accident calls received since the 2003/2004 campaign around half have been drink drive related.
1.7 The 'Who's Watching' campaign was repeated for the 2003 festive campaign through the use of radio commercials and washroom posters in pubs, style bars and youth bars. Three hundred and seventy five panels were also displayed in Premiership football club washrooms. The 'Wheel of Misfortune' campaign was then promoted early in February 2004 through the use of 500 heat sensitive urinal stickers and 500 eye level stickers in male washrooms.
1.8 In addition, between the 8 th and the 21 st December and 29 th December and the 4 th of January 2003-2004, presenters on all Scottish Radio Holdings radio stations carried features on drink driving. Presenters talked about drink driving, carried features on drink driving (i.e. Journalists went out with police patrols), and ran competitions. Furthermore, there were one minute slots on STV and Grampian for a period of two weeks after the lunch time and evening news where people affected by drink driving talked about their experiences.
1.9 Over the festive period in 2003, a total of 770 people were caught Drink Driving compared with 750 people from the same period in 2002. The number of women charged had also increased.
1.10 The SRSC wished to evaluate the 2003 festive drink driving campaign and the broader 'Don't Risk It' Campaign to inform on the success and appropriate targeting of the campaign.
1.11 The main aim of the research was to evaluate the 2003 drink driving festive campaign - testing awareness and understanding by drivers of the advertising, and assessing whether the campaign has had an impact on their driving behaviour.
1.12 More specific objectives of the research were to:
- Test awareness and understanding by young male drivers of the 'Wheel of Misfortune' adverts, and assess whether this advert was appropriately targeted at this particular group
- Test awareness and understanding by the general driving public of the 'Who's Watching You?" festive campaign and whether this had any impact on their driving behaviour
- The main aim of the qualitative research was to help inform further development of the campaign for drink driving
- A key research objective was to explore the concept of risk and the associated consequences, and to understand whether this was an appropriate message for the target audience
- Other areas for investigation included:
- Attitudes and behaviour in respect of drinking and driving
- Attitudes of a passenger towards a driver who has been drinking and driving
- Role of responsibility in relation to drinking and driving
- Attitudes to the concept of 'uncertainty' i.e. feelings about the potential influence of being observed by a member of the public for drinking and driving
1.13 This report presents the main findings from both stages of the research. The quantitative and qualitative findings are integrated throughout the report, and similarities and differences are highlighted where appropriate. Chapter Two outlines the methodology, highlights respondents' demographic and social characteristics and key aspects of their driving behaviour. Chapter Three looks at the role of 'social drinking' in individuals' day to day lives. Chapter Four examines attitudes to drinking and driving. Chapter Five examines respondents drinking and driving behaviour whilst Chapters Six and Seven look at perceived responsibilities and perceptions of the consequences and the penalties for drinking and driving. Chapter Eight assesses the effectiveness of the content and messages of the campaign. Finally, Chapters Nine and Ten detail the research conclusions and make recommendations for future development.