£50 breath test dummy Drink-driver blames ‘Stirling Moss’ gadget
A COMPANY director caught drink- driving claimed he had already given himself a breath test using a gadget endorsed by Sir Stirling Moss – and passed.
David Howell, 59, said he thought it was safe to get behind the wheel after the £50 device – promoted by the racing driver – showed a low alcohol reading.
In fact, he was nearly three times the limit after staying up until 4.30am drinking whisky.
Howell, from Adlington, Cheshire, told a court he should be spared a ban because he had placed his trust in the AlcoSense gadget – which he bought after attending a drinkdriving awareness course.
He said: ‘I abide by it, that’s the be-all and end-all. I will not drive until the machine says I have the all- clear.’ And he quoted Formula One great Sir Stirling, 90, as saying: ‘I wouldn’t drive the morning after, neither would I let my family, without first checking ourselves with AlcoSense.’
But Stockport magistrates rejected his claim that he would suffer ‘ exceptional hardship’ and banned him for 40 months. He had previously been given an 18-month ban in 2012 after his son tipped off police that he was drunk behind the wheel.
The latest incident occurred on August 3 when Howell, who runs an engineering merchants business, tried to drive his black Ford Transit into Whaley Bridge, Derbyshire, to retrieve possessions after the town was evacuated due to fears that a reservoir dam would collapse.
Much of the town centre was cordoned off. Howell became ‘agitated and animated’ with police when he came up against a road block.
PC Kirsty Mellor told the hearing: ‘ He seemed drunk and was slurring words, with arms flailing around. He pulled up around 50 yards away and got out. He was steadying himself on a lamp post.’
Tests showed Howell, who admitted drink-driving, had 92 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath. The limit is 35 micrograms. Howell admitted drinking whisky until
‘Machines don’t lie’
4.30am that morning but said he thought he would be safe to drive at the time of the incident, after 5.30pm. He said: ‘Before I left, I used the selftesting breathalyser. The machine told me I was OK. Machines don’t lie.’
Defence lawyer Lisa Morton said: ‘ He realises now he should not have placed reliance upon this device.’
Howell was also given a 12month community order which includes a six-month alcohol treatment programme. He was given a 7pm to 7am curfew for eight weeks and ordered to pay £175 in costs and charges.
In 2012 Howell was banned for 18 months and fined £460 after his son called the police to alert them he was driving his Peugeot 307 following a late-night whisky session.