Blow the whistle on drink driving
Essex fans encouraged to blow the whistle on drink driving this World Cup by taking stronger action against those breaking the rules
A new summer road safety campaign is launching across Essex ahead of the first England game of the 2026 World Cup, urging football fans to back their team by preventing their mates from making dangerous decisions behind the wheel.
Led by the Safer Essex Roads Partnership (SERP), “Back Your Team” comes as drink driving continues to pose a serious threat on Essex roads, with 2,127 people injured or killed in Essex relating to drink driving in the last ten years and 3,386 people arrested countywide for drink driving offences in 2025 alone.
The campaign film, featuring Simon Thomas from Soccer Saturday, uses football culture and friendship dynamics to encourage positive intervention when drink driving is on the table and follows young men watching football together during the tournament and the consequences of the decisions they make, post-match.
