In 1991 a report by Lord North on Drink-Driving was published and as a result of its recommendations, rehabilitation courses for offenders were established in 20 courts (extended to 176 courts by 1998). Lord North offered an incentive to encourage a positive change in behaviour; A 25% reduction in the length of disqualification was offered to offenders who completed the course of drink-driving education. Another innovative feature of the scheme was that participants were required to pay a fee to attend, making it self financing.In the past 15 years the number of people killed by drink-drivers in Britain has dropped by two-thirds from 1800 to 426 last year. Keith Hill MP commented in the Commons 'Those who attend rehabilitation schemes are three times less likely to re-offend than those who do not', hence the incorporation of the scheme into the UK Governments Alcohol Action Plan.

Presently, all drink-drive offenders are eligible - at the time of sentencing, the defender has to agree to comply with the course organisers reasonable requirements and pay the course fees,which are £50-£250.At the end of the course a certificate of attendance is issued, which has the effect of reducing the length of the disqualification by up to a quarter. A notice of non-completion is issued to those who do not complete the course and they do not regain their licence to drive early.

The course is specified by the Department of Environment Transport and the Regions and must cover the concept of units, strengths and volumes, effects of alcohol on the body, tolerance and dependence, limits for drinking, sensible safe and legal levels, and topping up (drinking while alcohol from a previous drinking episode is still in body). The course must also deal with drinking effects on work, friends, family and victims and on driving insurance costs. A large part of the course is spent on analysis of the offenders behaviour with the intention of changing behaviour by influencing knowledge, and attitudes toward alcohol consumption and driving. The courses are not anti-drink,and aim to separate drinking from driving.