Photograph of vintage Random Breath Test bus emerges
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The incredible story behind this photo of a very ordinary bus that changed life in Australia forever
- Surfaced photograph of the old school RBT bus
- The vehicle was the first to be shipped to the NSW Central Coast
A photograph of an old-school random breath test bus that was used to check the blood alcohol level of drivers has emerged.
The ramshackle-looking ferry is understood to be the first of its kind to be shipped to Warnervale on the New South Wales central coast in the early 1980s.
Historic New South Wales Patrol Vehicles posted a photograph of the vehicle on Facebook showing a vintage bus.
“NSW Police Breath Test Unit” is stamped on the side of the bus.
A photograph of an old-school random breath test bus that was used to check the blood alcohol level of drivers has emerged.
Two men are seen holding a couple of beers, one wearing a T-shirt while the other makes a goofy face at the camera.
“My father (on the left in the photo) was the Maintenance Manager and used to work there,” the post read.
“He used to say it had a bullet hole in the left front corner where you can see the overspray after the repair.”
Social media users shared fond memories of the buses with one noting that they were not the most reliable vehicles.
“I heard stories of this bus being used as a party bus parked in the back of the shop,” one wrote.
“Old bus broke down on many trips, especially Bathurst missions,” added another.
A second person mocked the ironic sight of two men holding beer bottles in front of an RBT bus.
“Now this is how maintenance is done, check that the bretho is working and all,” he wrote.
A social media user shared a humorous anecdote of an RBT bus taking an elderly lady home.
“That’s probably the same RBT bus that Roy Matheson, (RIP my friend) was working on when he and his stranger picked up an elderly lady at a bus stop one day and drove her home, straight to the front door.” , wrote. .
Random breath testing was introduced in 1982, and alcohol-related fatalities dropped from 40% to 15% over the decades.
“According to Roy, they helped her onto the bus and sat her down and when she mentioned the table and chairs, he told her that it was something new for the comfort of the passengers.
‘When he told me this story, I almost dropped my phone because I was on the floor laughing so hard. I’d love to know what the neighbors thought when they left her. That’s our Roy.
Random breath testing was introduced in 1982, and fatal accidents involving alcohol fell from 40 percent to 15 percent over the decades.
Before booze buses were introduced, drink driving was commonplace across Australia, and they are credited with saving thousands of lives.