A new survey has concluded that road safety messages about drink-driving are not working on young people.

According to an AAMI survey of almost 3,000 Australians aged 18 to 24, very little has changed since its first Young Drivers Index was released in 2001.

The morning after the night before is a dangerous time on the nation's roads, with 46 per cent of young drivers admitting they have driven while still drunk from the night before.

Spokesman Mike Sopinksi says very little has changed between some indicators of attitudes towards drink-driving since the last survey.

"It seems that the message is simply not getting through to young drivers about the dangers of alcohol and driving," he said.

"Twelve per cent in 2010 still say it's OK to drink and drive as long as they feel capable," he said.

"That's only slightly down from 15 per cent who said so in 2001."

Professor Russell Gruen of the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Melbourne says there is a lack of awareness about alcohol's affects several hours after a period of heavy drinking.

"I think people just don't realise that sleeping it off, even if it's just for a couple hours, is not enough," he said.

Professor Gruen says despite declines in road deaths over the last two decades, young men are still over-represented in driving fatalities.

He has urged road safety authorities around Australia to educate young people more on the effects of alcohol.

"We've done a lot about marketing against driving home when clearly intoxicated, but none of the marketing is really focussed on the next morning," he said.

"If people consume a large amount of alcohol, yes, some of that will still be in their bloodstream the next morning."