HAMPSHIRE Police is launching its first ‘Smashed’ drink-drive roadshow tonight with a crashed car display in Winchester.

Officers will join staff from the county council’s Road Safety Team between 7pm and 11pm in Market Street outside Marks and Spencer.

They will be speaking to passers-by about the dangers of drink-driving, including how many hours it takes to sober up after a night drinking.

Council staff will be on the road with a branded car – a blue Vauxhall Corsa – which was involved in a drink-drive crash on November 13, 2011 in which the 23-year-old female driver was killed instantly. She was four times over the limit.

The driver’s family has given permission for police to take the car around busy nightspots to warn people – particularly 20-to-24-year-olds, which accounted for 22.9 per cent of drink-drive arrests last year.

The young driver’s father, who has asked not to be named, said: “Losing my daughter, my children’s sister, has devastated our family and that feeling of loss will never leave us.

“If getting her car out there on the street for all to see stops just one person from drink-driving, then that’s a comfort to us.”

It is part of a Christmas campaign which sees Hampshire’s Roads Policing Units put more time and resources into tackling drink-driving than ever before.

Sgt Jay Hewes said: “Drink-driving is totally preventable. It’s a choice. You can choose to drive home knowing you might be over the limit or you can choose not to take the risk and find alternative transport.

“This campaign isn’t about lecturing people. We shouldn’t need to do that. This vehicle tells the story. It illustrates the catastrophic consequences of drink-driving. If you still want to risk it after that then you better just hope it’s not your car we’re using next year.”

The roadshow will be at the Swan Centre in Eastleigh on Friday and Basingstoke’s Market Square before heading to Portsmouth next week.