Latest news with #breathalyser
The Independent
2 days ago
- The Independent
Why police will be waiting for drivers departing Aberdeen International Airport
Police Scotland has launched Operation Safe Landing at Aberdeen International Airport to tackle drink - driving. The initiative involves an increased police presence, roadside checks, and breathalyser tests for arriving passengers. Authorities are urging passengers to make safe arrangements for their onward journey, emphasising Scotland's strict drink-drive limit and the dangers of impaired driving. The pilot project aims to ensure everyone arriving at the airport gets home safely and may be rolled out to other areas. Drink-driving in Scotland carries severe penalties, including a minimum 12-month driving ban, fines, and potential imprisonment, with 8,568 drink and drug driving offences reported in 2024/25.
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Just one, no more: Can you safely drink right up to the legal limit?
I know my limit. Just one or two small drinks, then I can drive home. Guesstimates like this tend to end badly, since people who are accustomed to alcohol often underestimate their own blood alcohol level, says Dr Ivo Grebe. In an interview, the doctor specializing in internal medicine explained why this can be extremely dangerous and how alcohol affects different people in different ways. Some people would argue: one, maybe two beers – that should be fine. But is it even possible to keep drinking up to a legal limit, such as a blood alcohol level of 0.5 grams per litre? "You could buy a breathalyser and keep it in the glove compartment," says Grebe. "They are reasonably reliable. Without a measurement, it's impossible to estimate. Studies have also shown that people who do not drink alcohol regularly often overestimate the effects of alcohol and their blood alcohol level. Those who tend towards more harmful alcohol use react in the opposite way. They usually underestimate their blood alcohol level." The concentration of alcohol in the blood is one thing, but the perceived effect is another. "Yes, it varies greatly from person to person," Grebe says. "Habituation plays a role. Sometimes you read about drivers being caught with blood alcohol levels of 1.8 grams per litre or thereabouts. These are people with a long history of alcohol consumption, who are so accustomed to it that they can somehow still function. This is, of course, extremely dangerous because their perception and reaction abilities are severely impaired, but they do not perceive it that way themselves. "Someone who does not drink regularly would probably be lying in a corner with a blood alcohol level of 1.8 and would not even be able to get into a car." So, if anything, just one glass – and no more? "If someone – regardless of gender – drinks 0.3 litres of beer or 0.2 litres of wine and then stops for the evening, they are generally on the safe side," Grebe says. "Anything beyond that enters a grey area. This is because many factors influence how alcohol is processed and broken down in the body, including gender, genetic predisposition, the preparation of the alcohol and also what is eaten alongside it. "And then there is the fact that the effect varies greatly. Some people say: 'I take one sip and I'm already not myself anymore.' In such cases, of course, you should only drive if you've had no alcohol at all – which is generally advisable." Apart from that, and this must be clearly stated, alcohol is a toxin and always harmful to the body, Grebe says. Dr Ivo Grebe is a specialist in internal medicine and a board member of the Professional Association of German Internists (BDI).
Times
24-06-2025
- Times
Drink-driving ‘effectively legalised' as number of breath tests falls
Drink-driving has effectively been legalised due to plummeting rates of breathalyser tests and light punishments for offenders, campaigners have warned. The number of breath tests conducted by police has fallen by more than 62 per cent over the past decade as dangerously inebriated drivers receive short bans. In 2009, police carried out 647,380 breath tests, but by 2023, that figure had fallen to just 240,322. The number of positive tests has remained stagnant, and campaigners argue that it reflects a lack of enforcement. In 2002, 18 per cent of breath tests were positive, compared to 16 per cent in 2023, while the number of drivers prosecuted for drink-driving offences has significantly decreased. Convictions for drink-driving fell from 55,300 in 2012 to 40,292 in 2023, coinciding with the sharp decline in breath testing. Lawrence Newport, of the campaign group Crush Crime said: 'Driving is not a right — we require licences for a reason. 'We expect minimum safety standards from drivers. The fact that repeat drink-drivers face such short driving bans is completely unjustifiable. It is beyond unacceptable that drink-drivers who have killed someone are ever allowed back on Britain's roads.' Crush Crime has highlighted cases where drink and drug drivers responsible for serious or fatal incidents have received minimal driving bans. In some instances, repeat offenders are back behind the wheel within a few years, even after causing fatalities. Lifetime bans are rarely issued, even for the most egregious cases of dangerous driving. • I lost my son to a car crash. Teen driving laws must get tough One such case is mum-of-three Charlotte Shipley, who struck a taxi during a police chase with her baby in the front seat while high on cannabis. Shipley, who was uninsured, had been convicted five days before the offence for dangerous driving. In February she was given a ten-month prison sentence and banned from driving for two years and five months. Stuart Lithgow collided with a motorcyclist while more than twice the drink-driving limit. The motorcyclist later died from his injuries. Lithgow was jailed last October for six years and was disqualified from driving for six years after his release — a punishment campaigners describe as grossly inadequate. Shane Oliver, who led police on a high-speed chase while over three times the legal cannabis limit, received a one-year prison sentence and an 18-month driving ban in April last year, despite having multiple previous convictions. Crush Crime is calling for sweeping changes to sentencing guidelines and legislation. They want to see a minimum six-year driving ban for drink driving, lifetime bans for repeat offenders, and mandatory lifetime bans for those who kill due to drink or drug driving. Newport said: 'It is not the responsibility of the public to shoulder the risk. Repeat offenders must be banned from driving before it's too late'. • Man who helped design breathalysers is banned for drink-driving Campaigners insist that urgent action is needed to prevent further tragedies and restore public trust in the justice system. Sarah Coombes, Labour MP for West Bromwich, said: 'The effects of drink and drug driving are appalling. As an MP I've seen too many families ripped apart by this and other kinds of unacceptable dangerous driving. 'Repeat offenders should have their licences taken away for good. The government is doing the first road safety strategy for ten years which is the perfect opportunity to crack down on this kind of selfish, dangerous driving that puts other road users at risk.'
Free Malaysia Today
17-06-2025
- Free Malaysia Today
No second sample required from suspected drunk drivers, rules court
The Court of Appeal restored the conviction of L Kannan for drink-driving in Ipoh five years ago, sentencing him to one day's jail and a RM15,000 fine. PUTRAJAYA : The Court of Appeal has ruled that police are not required to obtain two breath, blood or urine samples from drivers suspected of being under the influence of alcohol, affirming that a breathalyser test taken under the Road Transport Act (RTA) is sufficient. Justice Faizah Jamaluddin said a ruling handed down by the High Court in Ipoh last year, which deemed breath tests and biological samples mandatory under Section 45C of the RTA, was incorrect. 'The decision warrants appellate intervention,' said Faizah, delivering the unanimous judgment of a three-member bench, which included Justices Ahmad Zaidi Ibrahim and Azmi Ariffin. Bank officer L Kannan, had been convicted by a magistrate for drink-driving in Ipoh on Dec 31, 2020, after a breathalyser was used to determine that he had exceeded the RTA's permissible alcohol limit. He was sentenced to 14 days in jail and fined RM10,000. On appeal, the High Court acquitted Kannan, ruling that Section 45B(1) of the RTA was merely an initial screening procedure, and that if a breath test was positive, investigators would be required to collect two further specimens for testing. The High Court deemed the lower court's conviction unsafe, giving rise to the present appeal. In her decision today, Faizah, said the High Court had incorrectly interpreted the law. 'We are not certain what the High Court meant by 'preliminary' when the test is positive,' the judge said, noting that the term 'positive' does not appear in Sections 44 and 45 of the RTA. She said judicial interpretation must align with legislative intent. The appellate court reduced Kannan's jail term to one day but increased his fine to RM15,000. He is barred from driving for two years effective today. Deputy public prosecutor Fairuz Johari represented the prosecution, while Shiv Dev Singh appeared for Kannan.
The Guardian
11-06-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Scientists develop methanol breathalyser that could prevent thousands of poisonings each year
Australian researchers have developed a prototype methanol 'breathalyser' capable of detecting small concentrations of the toxic substance in alcoholic drinks or on someone's breath. Methanol poisoning is a problem that affects thousands of people every year, killing 20-40% of victims, according to Doctors Without Borders. In November, Australian backpackers Holly Bowles and Bianca Jones, along with British lawyer Simone White, were among six tourists to die in a suspected mass methanol poisoning in Laos. Methanol, an industrial alcohol, looks and smells similar to the regular alcohol found in beer, wine and spirits. But when found in alcoholic drinks – usually as a result of bootleg alcohol production – methanol can be deadly. Consuming even small amounts can lead to blindness, convulsions and death. Yet current methods for detecting the presence of methanol remain complex and expensive, and unsuitable for travellers. University of Adelaide researchers have developed a wireless methanol sensor – roughly a centimetre squared – capable of reliably detecting methanol at concentrations as low as 50 parts per billion (below the level of poisoning) in vapour from alcoholic drinks or on someone's breath. 'Our sensor will show that you can detect very low concentrations of methanol in a very simple way,' said co-author Prof Dusan Losic, from the University of Adelaide's school of chemical engineering, who researches the use of nanotechnologies to address global problems in health, energy and the environment. The approach, described in the American Chemical Society journal Sensors, combined graphene – a highly sensitive and conductive substance – with a porous material called a metal organic framework, which detected methanol based on its size. These were 3D printed like ink on to ceramic to create the sensor. The device is currently a prototype and not yet commercialised, Losic said, however the materials involved are low cost and the process is 'scalable'. 'There is a pressing need for affordable, portable devices capable of quickly identifying methanol presence in breath samples and alcoholic products, suitable for use by healthcare providers or the public,' the researchers write in the article. Current methods for detecting methanol are not readily available in regions where most poisoning incidents are reported. One common approach, called gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, relied on specialised equipment and expertise, said Prof Ian Rae, from the University of Melbourne's school of chemistry who was not involved in the research. This relied on vaporising and sorting molecules based on their size and chemical properties. The sensor offered another approach to separating the two types of alcohol, with the metal organic frameworks acting like a 'molecular trap' designed to catch methanol, he said. Methanol poisoning was a major problem for local populations in places such as the Mediterranean and south-east Asia, as well as travellers to those places, said Dr Ian Musgrave, a pharmacologist and toxicologist at the University of Adelaide who was not involved in the research. 'The issue is that a lot of the methods for detecting methanol are not really available in these places, when the gold standard is using gas chromatography.' There were chemical methods available too, Musgrave said, and these were often used by home brewers. 'But, if you're drinking in a bar in Laos, you don't want to pull out a jar of sulfuric acid in order to determine if your drink has methanol in it,' he said. A simple, rapid, portable device that could distinguish methanol from regular alcohol (ethanol) and other contaminants, would greatly assist in avoiding and treating poisonings, he said.
