Leader: When shock tactics no longer shock

LAUNCHED amid a flurry of publicity, the campaign posters were direct, declaring “Scotland’s Got Tougher on Drink Driving” and “Drink Driving, is it worth losing your licence and your car?” Drivers caught three times the legal limit for alcohol were warned in no uncertain terms that they would face losing their car as part of the crackdown.

Given the potentially devastating consequences of drinking and driving, this hard-line approach in the run-up to a period when alcohol flows freely seemed perfectly reasonable. It is, however, puzzling that the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland yesterday proclaimed the campaign a “success” after publishing figures showing a rise of more than 10 per cent in drink-driving offences.

Over the four-week campaign, 478 offenders were caught driving while over the legal alcohol limit, 36 were detected under the influence of drugs. That represents an overall increase compared with last year’s campaign, something which should certainly not be seen as a success.

What can we conclude from these figures? First, there is a hard core of people who seem determined to drink and drive – or, though far fewer, take drugs and drive – wilfully ignoring the damage it could do to their lives and the lives of others.

However, a second and more worrying conclusion could be the get-tough message is no longer having any impact. If this is the case, the police might take time between now and the next festive season to find out why. If shock tactics no longer shock, and therefore do not achieve their objective, it is time for a change of approach.