Police breathalyser tests on drivers hit record low in 2021

Police in England and Wales have carried out the fewest roadside breath tests since records began last year, a government document shows.

Data released last week by the Interior Ministry shows that only 224,100 motorists will have undergone a breath test in 2021, which experts say is due to the drop in the number of officers patrolling our roads.

Astonishingly, 17 percent of all tests performed exceeded the legal alcohol limit or the driver refused to provide a sample, the highest percentage since 2003.

A total of 224,162 motorists were asked to take a breathalyzer test last year – a drop of seven percent from the previous year and the lowest since measurements began in 2002.

Of those administered, there were 40,861 positive or declined breath tests by 2021, the numbers showed.

This decline continues the downward trend since the peak of 709,512 breath tests in 2009, down 68 percent last year from the peak of roadside checks.

Falling numbers: only half as many roadside breath tests will be conducted in 2021 as in 2002, earliest records date back to

AlcoSense, the manufacturer of breath test kits, said the drop in drivers stopped and breath analysis was due to the declining number of officers.

“Separate figures from the Department of the Interior show that the number of dedicated road police officers was down to 3,886 in March 2022, compared to 5,220 in 2015 – a drop of more than a quarter,” said Hunter Abbott, general manager at AlcoSense. ‘That explains the decline in tests.

He continued: “The only positive result is a marginal increase of 36 officers compared to last year – so hopefully the long-term decline has now bottomed out.”

Studies suggest that the impact of the pandemic on drinking has led heavy drinkers to consume more alcohol at home now than they did before Covid.

“This increases the likelihood of you driving the next morning with alcohol still in your system,” adds Mr Abbott.

“If you drink four pints of medium-strength beer or four large glasses of wine, it can take up to 14 hours for the alcohol to clear your system. So if you drink between 9 and 11 p.m., you might not be sober until 11 a.m. the next morning.

“Police should step up roadside checks, not less.”

Rise: Of 224,162 breath tests performed, 40,861 had positive results or refusals to provide a sample. This is the highest share since 2003, according to these figures

The Home Office report says recent trends in the number of breath tests have been largely “influenced by the Covid-19 pandemic.”

It added: “Performing a breath test requires the officer to be close to the driver, and police cited minimizing close contact with the public, fewer cars on the road and closure of the nighttime economy, resulting in less violations. as reasons why fewer breath tests are being conducted during periods of national lockdown.

“Additionally, many departments reported canceling their summer 2020 drunk driving campaign, which had led to a small spike in breath testing in June in previous years.”

There were 220 deaths on UK roads in 2020 where a driver went over the drink-driving limit, just down from 240 deaths a decade earlier.

Figures from the Department for Transport estimate that a total of 6,480 people have been killed or injured in drunk driving accidents, with drunk drivers accounting for 15 per cent of road fatalities.

Even with 10mg per 100ml of alcohol in your blood (one-eighth of the legal limit in England and Wales), you’re 37 percent more likely to be involved in a fatal accident than if you’re completely sober, research shows.

Watch out next month: About 17% of all breath tests conducted in 2021 took place in December as police ramp up their drink driving campaigns around the holiday season

Spike: 2021 records show drivers nearly twice as likely to be inhaled in December than any other month of the year

December is still the peak of roadside breath testing

Overall, 17 per cent of all breath tests conducted in 2021 took place in December, as police ramped up their drink driving campaigns around the holidays, especially with Britons able to attend Christmas parties after missing a December 2020 Covid hit.

That said, December 2021 had the lowest percentage of tests that came back positive – and the fewest being refused by motorists (10 percent) who would not provide a sample and were instead taken to a police station for a breath test.

In February, on the other hand, the lowest number of breath tests (12,828) was conducted in 2021.

This was more than a third (36 percent) less than the number of breath tests performed in the same month in 2020, record show.