Breath test 50th anniversary

It is now 50 years since the breathalyser testing system to check for alcohol use was introduced in the UK. Police carried out the first roadside breath test on a motorist in Shropshire on the 8th October 1967. The breath testing for alcohol has had a major benefit for UK road safety as in 1967 there were 1,640 road fatalities attributed to alcohol, almost as many road deaths as there were in total in the UK last year. The push to make drink driving regarded as dangerous, anti-social behaviour has had a maj
October 6, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
It is now 50 years since the breathalyser testing system to check for alcohol use was introduced in the UK. Police carried out the first roadside breath test on a motorist in Shropshire on the 8th October 1967. The breath testing for alcohol has had a major benefit for UK road safety as in 1967 there were 1,640 road fatalities attributed to alcohol, almost as many road deaths as there were in total in the UK last year. The push to make drink driving regarded as dangerous, anti-social behaviour has had a major effect and road deaths from drink driving are now around 12.5% of what they were in 1967. It is worth noting that road deaths overall have fallen dramatically, despite a massive increase in car ownership.


Previous methods for testing for alcohol use before the breathalyser involved officers using such scientific methods as asking drivers to stand on one leg, walking in a straight line or touching their noses with their eyes closed.

However road deaths from drink driving do still occur and accounted for around 200 fatalities last year, according to the 5432 Department for Transport (DfT).  

Final figures for 2015 show a 9% increase in the number of seriously injured casualties - from 1,070 in 2014 to 1,170 - the first rise since 2011. Worryingly, the total number of casualties in drink drive accidents for 2015 was 8,470 – up 3% on the previous year.

Police carried out over half a million (520,219) roadside breath tests in 2015, the lowest number since data collection began in 2002.  More than 60,000 drivers (one in eight of those tested) failed or refused to take the test.

Men were twice as likely as women to fail a breath test, a trend that was consistent across all age groups according to the DfT.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Bare-faced cheek
    May 20, 2015
    The vagaries of cycling laws in New Zealand were laid bare in December after police arrested a naked, drunk cyclist. For police in Timaru, a major port city on the south-east coast of New Zealand’s South Island, it was too much. In the name of decency they would not just stand by and be taunted and teased right in the middle of the high street. Apparently a police sergeant said that the man had not been charged with indecent exposure. Instead, the ever vigilant police decided the main issue was his lack of
    Read More
  • Sri Lanka is suffering a worrying increase in road accidents and road related fatalities
    April 19, 2012
    The latest data from Sri Lanka reveals a massive rise in road accidents and the deaths. Finding the root cause is not straightforward however and may be many complex causes for this scenario. Key factors have been identified by local experts however and these include reckless driving without adequate road discipline, the absence of an effective procedure for issuing driving licenses and a lack of any training procedures for drivers as well as other road users. Other key problems include deficiencies in the
    Read More
  • Morocco faces increasing road safety crisis
    August 8, 2012
    Road safety levels continue to deteriorate in Morocco, despite a series of policies introduced by the government and a tougher process of enforcement. The country has a human population of 32 million, along with 2.7 million registered vehicles and last year saw 15,000 people severely injured in road accidents, leaving them with long term disabilities.
    Read More
  • IRF Geneva steering the working groups of the National ITS Committee in India
    September 28, 2018
    Following the establishment of a National Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Committee by NITI Aayog, three working groups (WGs) have been created with the mission to formulate policy recommendations on education, legal aspects and innovation. IRF has entered into a Statement of Intent (SOI) with NITI Aayog, Govt of India, to work towards a coherent national ITS policy and is accordingly now chairing the work of the three WGs. Eight pillars of priority action have now been identified and ongoing pilots
    Read More

Highlighted Content