BII supports alcohol education for young
The BII have supported calls for more alcohol education for young people, after an investigation revealed arrests of under 2'5s for drink-driving are becoming more common.
The BBC investigation uncovered police concern over the figures among six forces - Leicestershire, Cumbria, Metropolitan Police, Strathclyde, Northumbria and Dyfed-Powys.
Scotland Yard's Supt Dave Page called for new public information films for young people, and said about a quarter of the drink-driving arrests in London are people aged 17-24.
The BII recently launched a pilot of the BIIAB Certificate in Alcohol Awareness in a London school, to education the next generation.
John McNamara, BII chief executive, said, "There has been a clear message about drink driving in the media over the last 15 years, with recent shocking TV adverts, yet it appears that there is a trend towards drink driving in younger people.
"The solution in the past in tackling drink driving has been education. Posters and awareness campaigns in pubs and clubs are a step in this direction but I believe that this education needs to start in schools. It not just about drinking and driving but also understanding the impact that drink has on the body and how many units are contained in popular drinks."
Schemes such as the Drinkaware Trust campaign, 'Drink or drive - you decide' already use posters, beer mats and window stickers to encourage people to make the choice between drinking or driving.
The ongoing Portman Group campaign "I'll Be Des" also encourages people to designate a non-drinking driver while out drinking.
