Forty years of breath testing

This month Victoria Police is celebrating 40 years since the introduction of random breath testing.

In 1989, the year the Transport Accident Commission started its drink drive campaigns, 114 drivers and riders died in road accidents with an illegal blood alcohol concentration. This figure dropped to 22 in 2014.

Victoria was the first state in Australia to introduce random breath tests for drivers.

Road Policing Assistant Commissioner Doug Fryer said the positive impact of breath testing had been undeniable.

‘‘The introduction of breath testing, while controversial at the time, has had a direct impact on the number of lives lost on our roads,’’ Assist Comm Fryer said.

‘‘The presence of illegal amounts of alcohol in those fatally injured has continued to decrease over the years since its introduction— from 49 per cent in 1977, to 24 per cent in 2009 to 15 per cent in 2014.

‘‘Our roadside testing has expanded from 40 000 to about 4 million roadside tests annually.’’

Assist Comm Fryer used the anniversary to start a discussion about extending the zero blood alcohol limit until the age of 26.

‘‘We know young drivers are at the highest at risk on our roads and they are consistently overrepresented in alcohol related road trauma,’’ he said.

‘‘A mixture of inexperience and self-determined invincibility leaves them exposed and extremely vulnerable to road trauma.

‘‘We know that in 2014 of the 468 injured drink drivers blood tested in hospital, 31 per cent were aged under 26.

‘‘I believe the separation of behaviours, of drinking and driving, needs to be strengthened among our young people.

‘‘We’ve come a long way, but it’s time to look to the future.

‘‘We still have people making the choice to drink before getting behind the wheel of a vehicle.

‘‘We need to do all we can, through legislation and enforcement to minimise this.’’

Victorian Roads Minister Luke Donnellan said the state had come a long way in changing people’s attitudes since Victorians took their first breath test in a ‘puff bag’.

‘‘We know that drinking alcohol and driving doesn’t mix,’’ Mr Donnellan said.

‘‘We owe it to all those affected by road trauma, their families and friends to deliver new ways to keep our roads safe, and we’re doing just that.’’

The Victorian Government is cracking down harder on drink drivers by ensuring that everyone convicted of drink-driving is required to have an alcohol interlock device fitted to their car.

Under these reforms, anyone found to be driving with a blood alcohol content over 0.05 will be required to drive vehicles fitted with an alcohol interlock device for a specified period, depending on the severity of the offence.

‘‘We want everyone to come home safely and that’s why we’re investing more than $1 billion in these initiatives in our Towards Zero strategy,’’ Mr Donnellan said.