No matter how obvious it is that it’s not a good idea, some people still insist on getting drunk and driving their cars. That’s why successive governments have commissioned ever more shocking TV advertisements to persuade us not to drink and drive.

The latest initiative has moved the fight for common sense online, with a viral video entitled ‘Steamy Windows’ sponsored by local Lancashire healthcare trust and created by Staffordshire based media consultancy, ST16.

The clip lures the viewer in with the promise of titillation, showing a young woman writhing gently in the passenger seat of a car, before gradually revealing the truth: that she is trapped inside a wrecked vehicle which has been crashed by her (presumably drunk) date.

The video has been a huge online success, with 2.4 Million YouTube views over a six month period and over 65,000 views on rival video sharing site Kontraband. Uniquely for a road safety advert, it has also has won a gold medal at the New York Film Festival.

It’s succeeded largely by appealing to the Zoo and Nuts demographic, who are the victims of all too many drink-drive accidents. Its success has been partially attributed to the fact that it was tagged on YouTube with the words 'Hot Girl Sex in Car'.

Jacqui Thompson, Assistant Director, Public Health Development, from North Lancashire Teaching Primary Care Trust and Chair of the Partnership, said: “Driving under the influence of alcohol continues to be a problem in the UK. It is still resulting in far too many serious injuries and deaths amongst young people. We needed a medium for our message that young drivers wanted to engage with, would distribute among friends and subsequently help change attitudes. The huge number of viewing figures and feedback from ST16’s measurement systems clearly demonstrate that this viral has been designed, produced and distributed in the right way.”

Steamy Windows will be in Lancaster cinemas from May 2008. It has also been developed into a multimedia campaign including posters and content on USB memory sticks that will be distributed in colleges and sixth forms throughout the North Lancashire area later this year.

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