Drug‑impaired driving is an escalating public health challenge across Europe, cutting across road safety, substance use, policing, and prevention. Hosted by the Global Law Enforcement and Public Health Association (GLEPHA) and The Police Foundation, this event brings together police leaders, public health experts, and campaign specialists to explore what works in changing behaviour at scale. Drawing on decades of frontline experience, senior police practitioners will set out the evolving challenge of drug driving and why enforcement alone is no longer enough. The event will then showcase two examples of effective public health campaigning. We will examine the behavioural and psychological drivers behind drug driving, drawing on fresh insights from Claremont’s work with Sussex Police. Their work highlights how overconfidence, optimism bias, confirmation bias and the illusion of control fuel risk‑taking.
The session also spotlights the UK’s revitalised THINK! campaign — its first drug‑driving campaign in a decade — responding to a 70% rise in driver fatalities where drugs were present between 2014 and 2023. The campaign uses a powerful driver‑seat narrative and data‑driven hotspot targeting to challenge the belief that it’s safe to drive if you “feel fine.”
Together, these case studies demonstrate how policing expertise, behavioural insight and strategic public‑health communication can combine to shift norms, increase perceived enforcement, and reduce harm — offering practical, transferable lessons for agencies across Europe.