Breathalyser for ChristmasBy Clint Chan Tack Friday, November 13 2009
click on pic to zoom in
Breath test: An English policeman tests a man's breath for alcohol using a device similar to what is expected to be used by local police. ...
WORKS and Transport Minister Colm Imbert yesterday announced that from November 30, police officers will be “out in force”over the Christmas season using the long-awaited breathalyser to crack down on persons who drink and drive.
In making this announcement at the post-Cabinet news conference at the Office of the Prime Minister in St Clair, Imbert also said legislation which made the use of seatbelts for children five years and under mandatory will be coming to Parliament soon.
“The breathalyser act will be proclaimed on Monday November 16, 2009. Shortly thereafter, we will begin breathalyser testing in Trinidad and Tobago,” he declared.
President George Maxwell Richards assented to the Motor Vehicle and Road Traffic Amendment Bill 2007, which authorises the use of the breathalyser, on July 27, 2007. The bill has been awaiting proclamation since then. Imbert said Cabinet yesterday approved the publication of orders for the use of two types of breath test devices by police officers in accordance with the law.
“The first device is a hand held device which will be used by police officers for what is called a field sobriety test,” he explained. These devices provide a preliminary indication of alcohol in a person’s system but because they have limited accuracy, they are not used for evidential purposes. Imbert added: “As long as the field test is an indication that a driver might be over the prescribed limit, the police officer can require that a driver go to a police station to do a much more detailed test using a more accurate device. It is the measurement from the device in the police station that is used in court proceedings.”
The Lion Alcho-Meter and Alcho-Blow are two of the devices that will be used for the field test. Devices such as the RBC-4 and FC 20 will be used to conduct breath tests at police stations. Stating that others will be introduced over time, Imbert said all of the devices approved by Cabinet have been selected in coordination with the National Traffic and Highway Safety Administration in the United States.
Imbert said several police officers have been trained in the use of these devices and “we shall now go full scale to complete the training of police officers.”
Given concerns over the spread of the Influenza A/H1N1 virus, Imbert said the officers’ training will include the proper handling and disposal of the removable mouth pieces of the portable devices. “A different mouth piece has to be used every time it tests a different person,” he stated.
Stating that some of the devices are already in the country, Imbert explained that other breath test devices will be procured by a process of tendering. In terms of cost, he said: “ It’s not a big ticket item. It is not a huge sum of money in terms of acquisition of these devices.”
He also revealed his ministry will complete comprehensive amendments to the Motor Vehicle and Road Traffic Act that will deal with issues such as mandatory infant seat belt laws, wrecking of vehicles and traffic wardens by month end. In an immediate response to Imbert’s announcement, Arrive Alive insisted that “anything short of implementation” will not reduce the number of lives lost on the nation’s roads.
In a statement, the group recalled an August 26 meeting with Imbert in which the minister promised that breathalyser legislation and other things would become law by October 31. Arrive Alive maintained that carnage on the roads will only be prevented once there are police officers conducting breathalyser tests together with the necessary legal framework to detain and prosecute those who endanger lives.
