POLICE chose a hospital mortuary to force home the message that drink-driving kills at the launch of this year's Christmas road safety campaign.

Traffic officers launched the campaign in a year when the number of people killed by drink-drivers rose six per cent.

The launch took place at The James Cook University Hospital, in Middlesbrough, with police and doctors from the hospital's accident and emergency unit attending.

Andrew Johnson, head of transport at the Government Office for the North-East, said: "We have deliberately chosen a rather ghoulish location for the launch this year because we want to emphasise the potentially fatal consequences of drinking and driving. This is not the place that people would want to spend Christmas."

Joining Mr Johnson at the launch was the hospital's A&E consultant Kyee Han. He said: "Our team too often see the tragic consequences of drinking and driving."

This year's drink-drive campaign will feature television and radio advertisements, posters and leaflets.

Statistics show that:

* On average, 3,000 people are killed or seriously injured each year in drink-drive collisions;

* Nearly one in six of all road deaths involve drivers who are over the legal limit;

* Drinking and driving is worst among young men aged 17 to 29;

* When the Government first published statistics in 1979, there were 1,640 people killed by drink-drivers, compared with 560 last year;

* The legal limit in the UK is 80 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood;

* Drink-drivers are disqualified for a minimum of 12 months and risk a £5,000 fine and six months in prison;

* Causing death by careless driving while under the influence of drink or drugs carries a maximum penalty of ten years in prison, an unlimited fine and a minimum two-year driving ban.