It is that time of year again for hard hitting campaigns aimed at stopping drinking and driving.

Millions of pounds will be spent and the best brains in marketing and public relations tapped into for the best way of driving the message home.

Why bother? We know that a percentage of those with good intentions will take the risk and ignore the advice, even though they know they are breaking the law and may well kill or maim someone.

As for the media, we know fine well that somewhere there will be a heart-rending Christmas tragedy, shock, horror, drama, when someone is ploughed into and killed on the way to wish a relative a happy Christmas.

The news pages and TV screens will carry images of the smash scene, tribute flowers laid at the roadside and a favourite picture of the loved one whose life has been snatched away for the sake of a few mouthfuls of booze.

It may be a cynical view, but like the emergency services who are bracing themselves for the onslaught of alcohol fuelled incidents, it is the real world.

Once the festive season is over for another year a number of drivers will revert to normal taking the "I've only had one" risk. Others with a pang of conscience will be inwardly mouthing thanks that they didn't get caught, only to dice with death again next year.

This cynical view is of course wrong, and we don't want to have to report on a tragedy.

Whatever needs to be done to save even one life has to be done.

The slogan on thousands of beer mats going out around Keighley -- Not One Drop -- means just that. Not one drop of alcohol means not one drop of blood is spilt.