THE Wiltshire Times campaign to name-and-shame drink-drivers, brought to you by This is Wiltshire, has received widespread acclaim from road safety campaigners and police officers.

RAC Foundation traffic safety manager Kevin Delaney said our campaign would help save lives, while Wiltshire Police inspector Cavan Moroney welcomed our weekly publicity aimed at showing how drink-driving wrecks lives.

Mr Delaney said that public complacency surrounding drink-driving remained high, with Easter likely to bring about a surge in drink-related accidents when motorists ignore the lifesaving message. Mr Delaney said: "I think your campaign is a good idea. It is one more disincentive. It could save a life or save somebody's job.

"If this is what it takes to persuade somebody not to have a third drink then it's good. It takes the problem into the community."

He said 2001 government statistics proved the number of drink-driving related road casualties peaked in April and not the traditional Christmas period.

Urging Department of Transport officials and police chiefs to consider waging a year-long campaign, Mr Delaney said drivers must start fearing the prospect of breath-tests. He said: "You have to go back to the 70s and 80s when December was the peak time for drink-driving crashes. It is quite logical as in summer you start to get the nice evenings where people drive-out to pubs and visit friends.

"The government has got to stop being complacent about this issue. If you are involved in a collision you will be breathalysed.

"If you knew you were going to be breathalysed on your way home you wouldn't drink at all or you would limit yourself to one drink."

Insp Moroney said the police aim to clamp down on drink-drivers all year round.

He said at least six drivers were caught during the weekend with all of them facing mandatory bans.

Welcoming our name-and-shame campaign, he said: "The more publicity we can get to keep the dangers of drink-driving in the public eye, the better it is. The consequences of drink-driving for some people are horrendous.

"We are hitting the drink-drivers all the time and it is disappointing the number of people being arrested."

Insp Moroney said the breath-tests laws were still not tough enough.

Praising the 'booze bus' model recruited by police forces in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, he said the system could be used in Wiltshire.

The booze bus is a specially-adapted vehicle used during large roadside breath test operations.

Drivers are pulled over and asked to say their name and address into a hand-held "sniffer" which shows any trace of alcohol.

Drivers who fail are taken onto the bus for a full breath test.

The DoT and Wiltshire Police carry out two major drink-driving campaigns at Christmas and summer.

Government figures show how 18,420 people were injured on the country's roads in 2001 because of drink-driving the highest figure since 1990.

Figures also revealed how drivers aged between 17 and 19 were eight times more likely to drink-drive while drivers aged between 20 and 24 were four-times more likely.

ClickHERE for more of our Drink-driver campaign.