Puplicity, control and drunk driving.

The history of campaigns against drink-driving and attitudes to drink-driving in Finland is related. Campaigns against drink-driving have been systematically organised in each year since 1976. Several partners have collaborated with the Central Organisation for Traffic Safety in implementing these campaigns. In 1976, the theme was: "Make a sober decision when you are sober: do not drive when you are drunk". There was increased awareness, but attitudes were basically unchanged. From 1984 to 1986, the new campaign approach was: "If you drink, do not drive; if you drive, do not drink". This slogan became very popular. In 1991, the theme was "Drunks cannot drive; do not let them try". The attitude of Finns, especially Finnish women, to drink-driving has changed since the campaigns began. Between 1980 and 1991, the number of breath tests increased by almost five times, and the number of suspected drunk drivers found rose by nearly 50%. Drink-driving is punishable by fine or a short prison sentence, but these penalties have not been good deterrents. There seems to be a group of Finnish drivers whose drink-driving behaviour is very hard to stop by preventative measures. This is reflected in the recent higher level of drink-driving fatalities.