One Cop Stop For B-Test

Drink-drivers could soon be convicted on the evidence of a single roadside breath test. The Government is looking to introduce new legislation that would allow the police to charge offenders at the scene, confiscate their keys and order them to find an alternative way of getting home.

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29th March 2004

The move would see the end of a second test at the station. A Home Office spokesman said: "The Government is committed to the idea of convicting drink-drivers on the evidence of one roadside breath test. We are evaluating new evidential breathalysers, which provide results that would stand up in court."

This comes as part of Labour's plans to crack down on binge-drinking in the UK. It would also free up officers to tackle other crime, rather than have them transporting over-the-limit drivers to and from the police station. The scheme requires MPs to agree a change in the law, but there's currently no relevant Bill passing through the House of Commons. The spokesman said it was likely progress would be made within 12 months.