Motorists to be denied blood tests when stopped on suspicion of drink driving.

[Shadeyman]

Motorists who are marginally over the limit when stopped by the police are to lose the right to demand a blood test under the biggest changes to drink-drive law in over 40 years.

Phllip Hammond, the Transport Secretary, is to plug a loophole which enables motorists to sober up while police find a doctor or nurse to carry out the test.
It is among a series of far reaching changes unveiled as part of the Government's response to recommendations on road safety made by Sir Peter North, former Principal of Jesus College, Oxford.
However the Government has angered road safety campaigners by rejecting Sir Peter’s call for the drink drive limit to be reduced from 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood to only 50.
Scrapping the right to demand a blood test is seen as a vital tool in preventing motorists trying to play for time in the hope that some of the alcohol will have disappeared from their bloodstream.
The Department for Transport estimates that scrapping the right to demand a blood test could lead to 5,000 more drink drive convictions a year.
Initially the change will mean that drivers will have to take a breath test on their arrival at the police station, the results of which can be used in court.
But the Government will tighten the law still further by introducing machines which will allow evidential breath tests to take place at the roadside.
As previously disclosed by the Daily Telegraph, the Government is to introduce drug-testing machines.
The first devices, capable of testing for an array of drugs including amphetamines, cannabis and ecstasy, could be in police stations by the summer, while a machine capable of carrying out roadside drug tests could be receive Whitehall approval by the end of the year.
This would bring Britain into line with a number of countries.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring...en-stopped-on-suspicion-of-drink-driving.html

Anything that gets drink drivers off the road is a good idea as far as I'm concerned.

 

[ben]

Why would a blood test be required before though? Are these road-side things not 100% accurate?

 

[Venters]

Good idea that. I knew a guy who was just over the limit on a roadside test, then by the time the blood test was done he was under the limit and got off with it.

 

[dave]

Why would a blood test be required before though? Are these road-side things not 100% accurate?

roadside only shows you have been drinking, not how much, it will say you been drinking if you just used mouth wash with alcohol in, it cant be used in court, if you fail it you go back to police station for more tests, there is a big breath machine there that has a printout that can be used in court.

 

[Ffoxy]

This one really is simple...

If you are driving, stay off the alcohol... End of.

That way it doesnt matter what roadside tests they do or dont do.

IMO drivers lose the right to booze, you have a choice, socialise & drink no alcohol or call a Taxi / friend / neighbour / relative for a lift.

 

[dronenrs]

roadside only shows you have been drinking, not how much, it will say you been drinking if you just used mouth wash with alcohol in, it cant be used in court, if you fail it you go back to police station for more tests, there is a big breath machine there that has a printout that can be used in court.

:yeahthat: how do the coppers know your not a hygiene freak who loves mouthwash.. i think this will lead to many more wrong accusations.. im all for reducing the limit but not removing blood tests

 

[Ffoxy]

:yeahthat: how do the coppers know your not a hygiene freak who loves mouthwash.. i think this will lead to many more wrong accusations.. im all for reducing the limit but not removing blood tests

I dont know anyone who drinks Mouthwash... dont they spit?

Doesnt really matter about the 2 - 10% of Mouthwash freaks does it, bottom line is they wont be done for drink driving as their bodies wont have absorbed anywhere near as much alcohol as a 5 - 10 pint drinker....

 

[dronenrs]

but the breath test will pick up a high level of alcohol on there breath if they only just left home e.g after brushing there teeth. which in this case could lead to a wrongful arrest.. sure there gonna arrest you anyway but at least with the blood test youve got more of a chance

 

[Focus Owner]

this is why they wait 20 mins since your last drink. and i think it includes mouthwash.
also why not train police to take blood it lucks pritty easy ill ask my flat mate when he wakes up

surley it could be done like diabeatis

 

[dronenrs]

this is why they wait 20 mins since your last drink. and i think it includes mouthwash.
also why not train police to take blood it lucks pritty easy ill ask my flat mate when he wakes up

surley it could be done like diabeatis

hey you know. thats something ive never thought about lol thats a really good idea tbh

 

[dave]

if police do it there will be accusations of tampering and switching

 

[Ffoxy]

but the breath test will pick up a high level of alcohol on there breath if they only just left home e.g after brushing there teeth. which in this case could lead to a wrongful arrest.. sure there gonna arrest you anyway but at least with the blood test youve got more of a chance

Mouthwashers have a choice, personally I dont believe Mouthwash has any value, I could be wrong, but in all my years I've only ever brushed twice a day & still have all my teeth but 2... no risk there of being wrongfully pulled by Plod... Doesn't the arrest follow confirmation rather than suspicion at the roadside? If the Plod cant "prove" guilt you cant be guilty, as we are still (allegedly) in an innocent until proven guilty situation.
Its the boozing drivers they are after, & in that respect, ANYTHING that makes drivers think twice before drinking alcohol I support the Plod 110%!

 

[Focus Owner]

if police do it there will be accusations of tampering and switching

the thing about blood it has DNA, so can be proved to be your blood or not at a later stage such you wish to contest it. the alchol limit should not drop since it would be sealed and stored in a cooled enviroment

 

[ben]

No way I'd let a policeman take my blood at the side of the road!

 

[Focus Owner]

its not at the side of the road its after going on the big machine and blowing a 40 or below

 

[dave]

Mouthwashers have a choice, personally I dont believe Mouthwash has any value, I could be wrong, but in all my years I've only ever brushed twice a day & still have all my teeth but 2... no risk there of being wrongfully pulled by Plod... Doesn't the arrest follow confirmation rather than suspicion at the roadside? If the Plod cant "prove" guilt you cant be guilty, as we are still (allegedly) in an innocent until proven guilty situation.
Its the boozing drivers they are after, & in that respect, ANYTHING that makes drivers think twice before drinking alcohol I support the Plod 110%!

you get arrested on suspicion of dd if you fail at road side, then de arrested if you are clear. i watch too much tv

you are not in trouble until you are charged

 

[Kier]

:yeahthat: how do the coppers know your not a hygiene freak who loves mouthwash.. i think this will lead to many more wrong accusations.. im all for reducing the limit but not removing blood tests

I had some drink drive training couple of weeks ago, got to try the breath test machines out. All passed the first time, the second time some of us took a mouthful of beer, then did the test straight away. We all failed. Did it a few minutes after and we passed again. So unless you get stopped within seconds of using mouthwash, it isn't going to happen.

One of the reasons why you have to wait 20 minutes after they've had a drink, and a few minutes after they've eaten/smoked.

 

[Prilliant03]

this is why they wait 20 mins since your last drink. and i think it includes mouthwash.
also why not train police to take blood it lucks pritty easy ill ask my flat mate when he wakes up

surley it could be done like diabeatis

I know doctors and nurses who have been taking blood samples for years and still find some patients hard or even impossible to bleed.

Testing for ehtanol (the lab test for alcohol) requires a bigger sample than you'll get from a pin-prick test like diabetics use to check blood glucose. an accuruate result will only be gained from veinous blood.

 

[johnw]

its not at the side of the road its after going on the big machine and blowing a 40 or below

That isn't right.

At present the roadside test is a breath test which gives one of 3 possible results. Either a negative ie no alcohol, a low positive ie some alcohol but not enough to warrant arrest, or a high positive which gets you arrested.

Once arrested you get taken to the police station and breath tested on an evidential machine ie one which analyses your breath and produces a numerical result. One or two areas are pilot testing roadside evidential devices.

The legal limit in breath is 35. Blow 39 or less and you go free. That removes any time wasting defence which relies on the fact that any analytical process will have some small inaccuracy.

Blow 40 to 50 and you will be required to provide either a blood or urine specimen for analysis. The result of that test will take precedence over the breath test. This dates from the days when the evidential machines were less accurate. If the police decide to take a blood sample there will be a time delay while the doctor is sent for. Your blood level could go up or down in that time according to when you last had a drink.

blow 51 or more and that reading is relied on.


Blood or urine samples can be taken if the evidential machine is not working or if there are medical reasons why you can't provide a breath test.