Only an ever-dwindling, anti-social minority still persist in drinking and driving. That was confirmed today by figures released by North Yorkshire traffic police.

Of 15,000 motorists stopped in the York, Tadcaster and Selby areas during the last ten days, none has been found to be over the limit.

If such an exercise had been undertaken a generation ago, the figures would have been very different. Drink driving used to be socially acceptable, and the result was carnage on our roads.

Since then, the message has been remorselessly driven home: do not drink and drive. A study out today discovered that most people consider drinking and driving as serious a crime as theft or assault. Many thousands of lives have been saved as a result of this uncompromising attitude.

Yet some drivers still grumble about high-profile traffic police operations at this time of year. It is a waste of public money, they moan to anyone who will listen. Few now do.

Without the police presence to back them up, all those hard-hitting television campaigns would have little impact. It is too easy to switch off or turn over when the adverts come on.

But reality hits home when you see cars being pulled over by traffic officers. That is enough to shock anyone tempted to risk drinking and driving to mend their ways.

So much is at stake. If the breath test is positive, motorists automatically lose their licence. That will cause them great inconvenience: it could cost them their job. Then there is the social stigma of being a drink driver.

The fact that no North Yorkshire motorist has been found over the limit so far in this year's Christmas campaign is excellent news. It would be even better if the figure stayed the same into the New Year, and the police are right to make this their ultimate goal.