From the time I entered grade school, one of the biggest messages that was drilled into my head was to never, ever drink and drive. Years before I could even get my license, I knew that drinking and driving was a terrible idea because I could be arrested or worse cause a fatal accident. Even so, there were over 1.41 million drivers arrested in 2010 for driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. For whatever reason, many drivers (especially young drivers) still don’t comprehend the danger they are putting themselves and other drivers in when they drink and won’t give up their car keys. An unusual new campaign, however, is hoping to stop drunk driving. They aren’t using the usual scare tactics of showing totaled cars or dead bodies. Instead, they are simply putting up a mirror and letting bar patrons reflect on what they see staring back.

The ad campaign, conceived by the agency behind the Conan O’Brien American Express commercial and Scrabble’s Block Project, was tested out at a packed bar in Brazil. For the campaign, they built a “mirror” which was actually a TV screen with a hidden camera, and they put the video on a delay of about 2-3 seconds. They placed the “mirror” in the space between the men’s and women’s restrooms, so anyone walking into the bathroom would see it. It wasn’t long before the mirror started getting a lot of attention. Some people leaned side-to-side or waved at the mirror, while others tried dramatic turns or dancing. After the bar patrons had a good laugh, though, a note appeared in the corner of the screen reading, “This is how slow your reflexes are after only a few drinks.” The effect was immediate. Giggling twenty-somethings stopped cold, their faces turning from carefree to concerned or upset. Many left their drinks next to the mirror or on the nearby bar counter.

You can watch a video of the campaign here:

Personally, I am a huge fan of this campaign. If I had been in the bar that evening, I would have thought that the mirror was a silly high-tech gadget meant to impress their patrons. I never would have guessed that it was meant to deter drunk driving. In fact, I probably would have been one of the people messing around with the mirror with my friends. Hopefully the Drunk Mirror campaign will make its way to the U.S. soon because I think it could be very effective, particularly in big cities like New York City.

Readers, we want to hear from you! What do you think of the Drunk Mirror campaign? Do you think it would work on American bar patrons, and would it be more effective than traditional PSAs? Leave a comment and let us know what you think!

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