June 17, 2003

DRUNK DRIVING AD CAMPAIGN BEGINS MONDAY

First the warning. Television and radio ads highlighting just how well law enforcement officers can determine if a driver has been drinking debut Monday as part of a two-week advertising campaign promoting an intensive drunk driving crackdown.

Then the crackdown. The Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP) is putting motorists on notice that a statewide You Drink & Drive. You Lose. mobilization kicks off June 25 and runs through July 11.

"There’s no outsmarting an officer if a person is driving drunk," said Michael L. Prince, OHSP division director. "These ads serve to put motorists on notice. Drive drunk and you can expect to go to jail."

No state general fund money is being used to support this effort. Federal traffic safety dollars are funding the ad campaign targeting motorists most likely to drive drunk: young men.

A series of focus groups involving young men were conducted by OHSP to zero in on what would deter them from drinking and driving. The new campaign reflects a consistent theme expressed during the discussions, that many young men felt law enforcement could not tell if they had been drinking before driving.

The advertising buy will employ the use of television, cable and radio spots in the state’s major media markets, which include Battle Creek, Detroit, Flint, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Lansing and Saginaw.

Read more press releases from the Michigan State Police.