Drinking And Driving Wrecks Lives
Encyclopedia
Drinking And Driving Wrecks Lives was the tagline
to a series of public information film
s (PIFs) that ran in the UK
during the 1980s and 1990s, addressing the problem of drink-driving. Unlike earlier campaigns which focused on consequences to the offender, this campaign was more aimed at showing the devastation that drink-driving can cause to the victims and their families. Storylines and camera techniques (such as the extreme close ups used in the Eyes and Kathy campaigns) were designed to encourage drinking drivers to identify with the people affected by this behaviour, showing that drink driving is not a "victimless crime
". There were many PIFs in the series, but some of the best known were:
The campaign began in 1987 and was replaced in 1997 by a new slogan, "Have none for the road".
Tagline
A tagline is a variant of a branding slogan typically used in marketing materials and advertising. The idea behind the concept is to create a memorable phrase that will sum up the tone and premise of a brand or product , or to reinforce the audience's memory of a product...
to a series of public information film
Public information film
Public Information Films are a series of government commissioned short films, shown during television advertising breaks in the UK. The US equivalent is the Public Service Announcement .-Subjects:...
s (PIFs) that ran in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
during the 1980s and 1990s, addressing the problem of drink-driving. Unlike earlier campaigns which focused on consequences to the offender, this campaign was more aimed at showing the devastation that drink-driving can cause to the victims and their families. Storylines and camera techniques (such as the extreme close ups used in the Eyes and Kathy campaigns) were designed to encourage drinking drivers to identify with the people affected by this behaviour, showing that drink driving is not a "victimless crime
Crime
Crime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...
". There were many PIFs in the series, but some of the best known were:
- Classroom, depicting a class of children who lost one of their own classmates to a drunk driver. The camera is shown moving from the teacher to rows of children, each narrating their reactions to news of the boy's death, ending on solitary child (a close friend of the deceased) at the back of the class seated next to a now empty chair.
- A Fireman's Tale, with Ken StottKen StottKenneth Campbell "Ken" Stott is a Scottish actor, particularly known in the United Kingdom for his many roles in television.-Early life:...
playing a fireman who talks to the camera about attending the scene of an accident where a mother and baby had been killed by a drinking driver. - Real Lives, following a family whose young son has just died as a result of a drink driving accident. We see newspaper clippings about the young boy's death and watch his funeral, including his grieving family and younger brother. His parents are then shown clearing out what had been his bedroom, and they break down in tears as they find his watch. John NettlesJohn NettlesJohn Vivian Drummond Nettles, OBE is an English actor, historian and writer who is best known for playing the lead roles in Bergerac and Midsomer Murders.-Early life:...
narrated the introduction to this film. - Kathy Can't Sleep, From 1990, directed by Tony Kaye (American History X, The British Rail Ads)where the camera shows extreme close up of the face of a little girl watching in horror while her mother shouts and rages at the father, who has been convicted of killing a child while under the influence.
- Recovery, which shows a man trying to teach himself how to walk after being left in a wheelchair after a crash. The film has him attempting to use handrails as his instructor encourages him, but about half-way he finds it too painful and asks to stop.
- Eyes, another ad from 1992 in which Denise van OutenDenise van OutenDenise van Outen is an English actress, singer and television presenter. Her most notable roles to date are as a presenter on The Big Breakfast, and as Roxie Hart in the musical Chicago on both the West End and on Broadway.- Early life :Born Denise Kathleen Outen in Basildon, Essex, she is the...
played a young girl who has been run over by an intoxicated driver. The camera focuses on her blank, lifeless eyes as an ambulance team attempt to revive her. At the end she is pronounced dead, and we hear the driver being taken away by police. - Victim, a more sedate example of the campaign from 1987, in which a paralysed man talks about the accident which took his mobility. He says his mates have looked after him and they believe he's lucky to be alive, and then he is fed a cup of coffee by his friend.
- In the Summertime, a 1992 campaign devised to challenge popular misconception that drink driving is only a serious problem at ChristmasChristmasChristmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
, the usual time for anti - drink driving PIFs to be shown. With a soundtrack of the Mungo JerryMungo JerryMungo Jerry is an English rock group whose greatest success was in the early 1970s, though they have continued throughout the years with an ever-changing line-up, always fronted by Ray Dorset. They are remembered above all for their hit "In the Summertime". It remains their most successful and most...
song "In the Summertime" (one of the lines of which is "Have a drink, have a drive..."), a group of friends are drinking in the beerBeerBeer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
garden of a pub on a warm summer's evening. The music suddenly slows down and dies away as we see one pubgoers cease smiling on catching sight of something shocking. We later see a crashed car lying under a tree and the dead bodies of the passengers inside. The slightly different taglineTaglineA tagline is a variant of a branding slogan typically used in marketing materials and advertising. The idea behind the concept is to create a memorable phrase that will sum up the tone and premise of a brand or product , or to reinforce the audience's memory of a product...
was "In the summertime, drinking and driving wrecks even more lives". The ad proved to be so popular that it was repeated in 1994, along with a print ad campaign. - Christmas Pudding, showing a burning Christmas puddingChristmas puddingChristmas pudding is a pudding traditionally served on Christmas Day . It has its origins in medieval England, and is sometimes known as plum pudding or plum duff, though this can also refer to other kinds of boiled pudding involving dried fruit.-Basics:Many households have their own recipe for...
on a dinner table turning into the wreckage of a burning car, as a woman's Christmas dinner with her family is interrupted when the phone rings to inform her that her boyfriend (who had been drinking at another party) was killed on the road. This advert dates from 1993. Again, the slightly different taglineTaglineA tagline is a variant of a branding slogan typically used in marketing materials and advertising. The idea behind the concept is to create a memorable phrase that will sum up the tone and premise of a brand or product , or to reinforce the audience's memory of a product...
was; "Drinking and driving wrecks ChristmasChristmasChristmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
". - Dave, a 1995 advert where we see a woman preparing liquid food in a kitchen, with voices in the background of men in a pub encouraging their friend to have another drink - he refuses, saying he's driving, but they urge him "Come on Dave, just one more." The woman is then seen feeding the liquid concoction to her quadriplegic son (played by Daniel RyanDaniel Ryan (actor)Daniel Ryan is an English actor and writer.He is known for starring as Darren Alexander in the BBC drama comedy Linda Green, Andrew Gilligan in The Government Inspector, Andy Coulson in Steel River Blues and Kenny Reed in The Whistleblowers...
), and when he can't swallow it, she encourages "Come on Dave, just one more...". - Police Station, A 1991 ad which tells the story from a drink-driver's point of view. It focuses on how intimidating the arrest is, and how frustrated the police come across in such a situation. At the end of the advert, a policeman informs the driver that a victim has died, and another policeman offers him a cup of tea in a clearly agitated manner.
- Mirror, a 1996 advert featuring a young woman sitting at a vanity table and staring into the mirror as she talks about being involved in an accident where her boyfriend, who had been drinking, crashed their car on the road. She says she would like to leave her boyfriend but doesn't think another man would want her, and turns her face to the light to show horrific scarring resulting from the accident.
- Mark, in which a man talks about his best friend, who is ostensibly "a great blokeBlokeBloke is a slang term for a man. It is commonly used in the UK, Ireland, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. It is however used in French speaking parts of Canada as a derogative term for the English speaking population.Bloke may also refer to:...
" but after going on a night out and having "only a couple" of drinks, he caused an accident which killed a couple, leaving their children as orphans. It challenged public perceptions that you have to be drunk to cause a serious drink driving accident. - Mates, where the ad is played from the perspective of a critically injured man whose friend was drink-driving. His friend is constantly asking how he is and claiming his innocence, then accepts his mistake and apologises, while medical staff are attempting to treat the man. The advert ends with the driver looking into the camera and saying "We're still mates, right?"
The campaign began in 1987 and was replaced in 1997 by a new slogan, "Have none for the road".