Motorists have been warned they could be fined up to £5,000 and face a prison sentence if they are caught drink driving.
That was the hard hitting message from Police Scotland as it launched a new two-week summer road safety campaign yesterday.
With a driver stopped by police on average every two minutes on the country’s roads, officers say the risk of being caught is higher than ever.
The initiative is being supported by TV, radio and online campaigns featuring the message that “even just over the limit will get you a minimum 20 year criminal record”.
The campaign was launched in Edinburgh yesterday by Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill.
Police Scotland head of road policing Superintendent Iain Murray, Lord Advocate Frank Mulholland and Edinburgh woman Jill Fulton, whose husband Gavin was killed by a drunk driver in 2012, also attended.
Figures show that approximately one in eight deaths on Scottish roads involve drivers who are over the legal limit and people who have one drink are three times more likely to be involved in a fatal accident.
Supt Murray said: “Those who get behind the wheel while under the influence of drink or drugs will be caught.
“Drink drivers, no matter how little they are over the limit, will face serious consequences, which include a lengthy criminal record, an automatic driving ban, having their car seized, a fine of up to £5,000 and the possibility of a prison sentence.
“Police Scotland will hammer home the message this summer through tough enforcement that drinking and driving is unacceptable and ruins hundreds of lives each year.”
Mrs Fulton said the “reckless actions” of a drunk driver had robbed her family of a “doting father and loving husband”.
“If my being here today can stop just one family having to go through the devastation we have been through, then it will have been worthwhile,” she added.
Mr MacAskill said the Scottish Government was determined to do all it could to make the roads safer.
He said the drink drive limit would soon be lowered to 50mg of alcohol in every 100ml of blood to send a clear message there is “never an excuse to drink and drive”.