![](https://emergencyservicestimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/ESS-Button-resized.png")
The government has launched its first drug-driving awareness campaign in a decade as part of efforts to tackle the sharp rise in drug-related collisions.
Backed by the Department for Transport’s THINK! initiative, the campaign went live yesterday and targets areas identified as drug-driving hotspots across England and Wales.
The move comes ahead of the government’s forthcoming Road Safety Strategy, which aims to address what ministers describe as a growing and urgent issue. Online adverts will run throughout December and will be paired with intensified police enforcement operations.
Department for Transport data shows that around 90% of drivers impaired by drugs in collisions are male, with four in ten aged between 17 and 30. Drug-related road deaths have also risen significantly over the past decade, with driver fatalities involving drugs increasing by 70% between 2014 and 2023.
The campaign, titled Don’t put drugs in the driving seat, uses a rotating, driver-seat perspective to depict how a single reckless decision can lead to a crash, arrest, court appearance and imprisonment. THINK! research suggests the message is urgently needed: a third of young men believe it is acceptable to drive if they “feel fine” after taking drugs, and nearly half say they know someone who drives after drug use.
Local Transport Minister Lilian Greenwood said the initiative underlines the serious risks posed by drug driving and reinforces the government’s commitment to improving road safety.
Chief Superintendent Marc Clothier, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for Operation Limit, said police forces will be increasing intelligence-led roadside stops throughout December. Nearly 27,000 drivers are convicted of drug driving each year, he added, stressing that the offence “will not be tolerated”.
To read similar articles, check out our Frontline channel
