30/06/2026
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Beyond the test: THINK! campaign addresses drug driving attitudes. How you can support it
Abigail Holland, 30 June 2026 - Feature, Learning to drive

As professional driving instructors, you have an opportunity to help address one of the most concerning trends in road safety: the normalisation of drug driving among young men.
Recent THINK! research found specific psychological factors driving this dangerous behaviour and they have launched a major campaign that you can support.
In this blog post I will share with you some ways you can use the THINK! campaign’s research into drug driving psychology to support the way you teach and help spread the campaign’s messages.
THINK! campaign: "Don't put drugs in the driving seat"
"Don't put drugs in the driving seat" is a targeted campaign addressing drug driving among 17 to 29-year-old males. The campaign will be seen throughout July and August on posters in public spaces, online platforms such as YouTube, social media and audio channels, aligning with when drug driving collisions spike in the summer months.
As driving instructors, you're uniquely positioned to support this campaign by reinforcing its messages during lessons with your pupils and through your own professional networks. A campaign toolkit is available on the THINK! website to help you include its messages in your teaching.
The drug driving challenge: what the research tell us
Drug driving is becoming normalised, particularly among younger male drivers who make contextual decisions about when it's "acceptable".
There are concerning trends affecting learners and newly qualified drivers:
41% of young men believe it is OK to drive after taking drugs if they ‘feel fine’
51% of young men report knowing someone who drives after using drugs
they underestimate realistic consequences like losing their licence or getting a criminal record
This shows that young drivers are making moment-by-moment decisions weighing convenience against perceived risks, often underestimating the dangers due to misconceptions such as:
cannabis improves driving ability by making them "more cautious"
co***ne sobers you up, so you're safe to drive
they can assess their own impairment levels accurately
The psychology behind drug driving decisions
THINK!’s research identifies 3 critical factors which their new campaign addresses.
Overconfidence bias: Young men are more likely to think they’re better than the average driver and that their chances of being in a crash are therefore low. When it comes to drugs, this extends to an overconfidence in their ability to make the right choices and that some drugs could even improve their driving ability. The campaign counters this by raising awareness that drugs impair your focus, judgement and reaction times regardless of perceived tolerance.
Present bias: In-the-moment decisions prioritise immediate convenience over long-term consequences. The campaign attempts to disrupt this thinking by highlighting what the immediate, realistic consequences of drug-driving look like and the long-term impact they could have on the young driver's life.
Availability heuristic: Without personal experience of negative consequences, young drivers underestimate risks. The campaign highlights the risk with information about the police’s detection methods and legal penalties.
How you can support the campaign
Use the campaign’s messages in your lessons
The campaign focuses on relatable truths that you can reinforce:
"I feel fine, so I’m OK to drive" – but even if the feeling has worn off, drugs can still impair reaction times, coordination and perception
"it's just down the road" – but police can stop and test anywhere, anytime
"I won't get caught" – there is a zero-tolerance approach to drug driving and roadside testing can detect even small amounts. Some drugs can stay in your system for more than a few days, so there’s still a risk of being caught even if that ‘big night out’ was a while ago
Focus on immediate, realistic consequences. The research shows these messages cut through most effectively:
"police can stop and test for drugs at the roadside using simple swabs"
"any detection of drugs can result in charges – there's no safe limit"
"one positive test could change everything about your future"
Scenario planning: Discuss realistic situations where pupils might face pressure to drug drive (for example, having driven to hang out at a friend’s house) using campaign messages to frame responses.
Decision-making practice: Help pupils understand the real-time risk assessment that leads to drug driving and how campaign messages counter dangerous assumptions.
Misconception correction: Use campaign evidence to directly address myths about drug effects on driving ability.
The campaign emphasises consequences that research shows resonate most strongly:
being tested at the roadside (the police can detect even small amounts)
losing your licence (affects independence, work, social life)
getting a criminal record (impacts future employment)
social stigma and family disappointment
injuring yourself or a mate
The research shows that focusing on legal consequences and roadside testing are most likely to change behaviour because they make abstract risks feel immediate and realistic.
Share the campaign messages on your own social media channels
Use the campaign toolkit to access videos and images designed to share consistent, messages with your pupils and their families.
Engage with families
Share the campaign resources with parents and families to help educate them on the risks
Use peer-to-peer messaging
The research shows young men respond best to messages from people they can relate to who choose not to take this particular risk. Position yourself as someone who understands real-world pressures but can explain why drug driving isn't worth it.
Your professional impact
Your instruction, combined with helping share campaign messaging, creates the most powerful opportunity to address drug driving attitudes during the crucial learning period. Together, we can make the roads safer by ensuring the next generation of drivers understands that when it comes to drugs and driving, it's simply not worth the risk.
For more information on the campaign and to access the toolkit, visit the THINK! website
Tags: driving instructor, learning to drive, road safety
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