Big Drunk-Driving Ad Campaign Bypassing Newspapers

By: Mark Fitzgerald The largest-ever federally funded advertising campaign to combat drunk driving is steering clear of newspapers.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announced Wednesday that it is launching an $11 million ad campaign, which it described as "which will be the largest advertising blitz ever used to combat drunk driving."

Newspapers, though, won't get a dime from the campaign, the DOT announcement indicated. It said the ads, in both English and Spanish, would run on television, radio and the Internet.

A phone message seeking comment from a DOT spokesperson was not immediately returned Wednesday afternoon.

The ads "will run nationally on programs viewed primarily by 21- to 34-year-old males," the department said. According to data released Wednesday by the DOT's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the highest percentage of drivers in alcohol-related fatal crashes was for male drivers ages 21 to 34 (33%), followed by males age 35 to 44 (25%).

DOT ads will run with the tag line: "Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest."

"Drunk driving is one of America's deadliest crimes," said the DOT's acting secretary, Maria Cino. "Our message is simple: if you drive drunk, you will be arrested."

In its report on alcohol-impaired driving incidents for 2005, the department said there were 16,885 alcohol-related fatalities in traffic crashes. That annual statistic, the department added, was "nearly unchanged during the last decade."