Toothbrush aims to help tackle drink-driving the morning after

THE world’s first breathalyser toothbrush has been released in a game-changing attempt to help people avoid taking to the roads over the limit the morning after a night of consuming alcohol.

The Brushalyser aims to get people to think twice before driving on a morning hangover, embedding breath testing into Brits’ morning routines. Once finished brushing, users would simply blow into the breathalyser on the back of the toothbrush; the light flashes red and vibrates if over the limit, and glows green if it’s safe to drive.

The innovation comes after new research from Direct Line revealed a quarter of British adults (25 per cent) admit to driving the morning after a night out, despite feeling under the influence of alcohol. Younger drivers, aged 18 to 34, are the biggest offenders with half (50 per cent) confessing to getting behind the wheel the morning after a night out.

Police forces have reported an eight per cent year-on-year increase in motorists failing breath tests in the morning hours. The study found drivers who attended an event this summer consumed on average a whopping 16 units, the equivalent of seven pints of regular strength beer or one and a half bottles of wine.

These individuals are consuming more than the NHS-recommended weekly allowance in under 24 hours. This Christmas could see the next spike as drivers attend festive work parties and gatherings with friends.

Lorraine Price, head of motor insurance at Direct Line, said: “It’s clear drivers need a wake-up call when it comes to drinking and driving. The breathalyser toothbrush aims to remind people they could be over the limit the morning after drinking, and ties breath testing seamlessly into Brits’ morning routines.

“We’re mindful this is in early development stages, but change is needed now, so we’re urging people to get clued up on how long it takes to sober up. They could even consider buying a breathalyser for their home or car to test themselves before taking to the road in the morning.”

The campaign is backed by Dr Joeran Koechling, who recently led a University of Cambridge study into the reasons behind drink-driving and particularly how accurately drivers can estimate their fitness to drive after drinking alcohol.

He said: “Road traffic injuries have become the leading killer of people aged five to 29 years, and recently, the World Health Organization has said that alcohol-related traffic accidents are one of the major causes. Our own study specifically showed drivers are strongly misjudging their alcohol levels, meaning people consider themselves fit to drive when in fact they have dangerous levels of alcohol in their blood.”

The research also showed lack of awareness when it comes to the law and limits, with 40 per cent of drivers admitting they don’t know the drinkdriving limit at all. One in ten believe breakfast, coffee and sleep will sober them up enough to be fit to drive. Almost a third (29 per cent) of 18-34-year-olds believe if they don’t feel drunk the morning after an evening of drinking alcohol they are fine to drive.