BBC NEWSAmericasAfricaEuropeMiddle EastSouth AsiaAsia PacificNorthMidlands/EastWest/South-WestLondon/SouthNorthMidlands/EastWest/South-WestLondon/South
BBCiNEWS  SPORT  WEATHER  WORLD SERVICE  A-Z INDEX    

BBC News World Edition
 You are in: UK: England 
News Front Page
Africa
Americas
Asia-Pacific
Europe
Middle East
South Asia
UK
England
N Ireland
Scotland
Wales
Politics
Education
Business
Entertainment
Science/Nature
Technology
Health
-------------
Talking Point
-------------
Country Profiles
In Depth
-------------
Programmes
-------------
BBC Sport
News image
BBC Weather
News image
SERVICES
-------------
News image
EDITIONS
Tuesday, 10 December, 2002, 19:42 GMT
Force launches hard drink drive message
Drink driver
One in seven deaths on the roads are drink-related
West Mercia Police has launched what it has described as its most hard-hitting festive drink drive campaign yet.

Police are using pictures of a Worcestershire man who was nearly killed by a drink driver when he was 21-years-old.

Father-of-two Ed Walsh, who is now wheelchair bound, will feature on beer mats and posters with the hard-hitting message: "Did you hear about the man who had one for the road... I met him."

Mr Walsh also had to do a live performance for cinema adverts.

Drinking and driving is dangerous, devastating and in West Mercia it will not be tolerated

Sgt John Roberts

He said: "We did a live show in Worcester where I had to get up on stage and tell some jokes and get people laughing.

"I then went to the punch line; did you hear about the man who had one for the road, well I met him.

"It was funny, and like all these campaigns and adverts, some of them are hitting hard immediately but this one holds back and then the hard hitting message comes at the end."

Police say one in seven of the people killed on the roads in the UK are involved in drink-related accidents.

Sergeant John Roberts, from West Mercia Police, said the campaign was aimed at people aged between 17 and 35-years-old.

He said: "This is the age group that are more likely to drink and drive based on the national trend last year.

"Drinking and driving is dangerous, devastating and in West Mercia it will not be tolerated."

 WATCH/LISTEN
 ON THIS STORY
The BBC's Sarah Falkland
"The reason why the West Mercia anti-drink drive campaign is so powerful is all down to one man"

Click here to go to BBC Hereford and Worcester

Click here to go to BBC Shropshire
See also:

10 Dec 01 | Scotland
Internet links:


The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites

Links to more England stories are at the foot of the page.


E-mail this story to a friend

Links to more England stories

© BBC^^ Back to top

News Front Page | Africa | Americas | Asia-Pacific | Europe | Middle East |
South Asia | UK | Business | Entertainment | Science/Nature |
Technology | Health | Talking Point | Country Profiles | In Depth |
Programmes