Northern Ireland drink drivers face fast-track prosecution

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Northern Ireland drivers caught over the alcohol limit could be in court within days of being detected, police have warned.

The fast-track pilot scheme will see dangerous drivers off the road with “near immediate effect,” Assistant Chief Constable Alastair Finlay said. (“Northern Ireland drivers face fast-track prosecution” BBC News, 24 November 2011)

“People don’t accidentally have a beer or glass of wine, they make a conscious decision. The only right decision is to leave the car or motor bike at home if you’re drinking.

“I want all motorists to think about the consequences to yourself and your family of being involved in a serious collision.

“How would you feel if your actions resulted in you or one of your family being paralysed? How would you feel if some innocent person was killed?”

And morning (or should that read ‘mourning’?!) after the night before is an issue not to be ignored.

Save that licence – and that life – with a true police-grade detector.  And for our Southern Irish fellows, the AlcoDigital 3000 is now available via a dedicated Irish site – www.AlcoDigital.ie.   With their recently reduced drink drive limits, they cannot be too careful.

 

What Car? Magazine Breathalyser Review – 1st – AlcoDigital 3000

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What Car? Magazine put a selection of personal breathalyser units costing from £20 to £300 through a comprehensive range of testing to establish the differences in the ability of the products out there.

In 1st place came our AlcoDigital 3000, with What Car? stating:

“This is the breathalyser you should be able to have complete faith in because it’s manufactured by the same company that builds police units. It’s made to the same specification as police units, too. Our tests showed it provides clear, accurate results.”

Accuracy, ease of use and consistency were particularly highlighted, along with the manufacturing quality (not to mention the 2 year warranty).

Couldn’t have put it better ourselves.  Thanks What Car?, glad you agree!

See our dedicated website www.AlcoDigital3000.com for more details.

 

 

Why choose Interlocks over Random Screening?

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There are various ways of implementing an Alcohol Screening Policy.  Most people understand the ‘Random Testing’ scenario (although if you are the one being tested it sometimes doesn’t feel so random!) – a breath test first thing in the morning as you report to work, making sure you are fit to drive.

But there is a big difference to checking someone once, and sending them on their way, to having a device that continuously monitors the driver throughout the day.  Suddenly, the opportunity to stop for a few at lunchtime before then going back out on the road ceases to exist.

And whilst there’s always someone saying “But you could get anyone to blow into it to start the vehicle” – undoubtedly true – I’m not sure I know anyone prepared to start a vehicle full of passengers, for a driver who is knowingly over the limit, and then proceed to spend the rest of the day WITH that driver performing a breath test sample every time the device demands a rolling re-retest.  That’s a lot to live with.

Interlocks have been around for a while, but the main areas putting people off seem to be upfront cost and interruption to vehicle operation due to servicing the system.

With the AlcoDigital Drivealyzer, there is the option to purchase outright for only £595, already cheap in comparison to the competition.  Or better still, you can rent the system – for only £5 a week per vehicle.  And with a replaceable handset system, suddenly the ‘downtime’ required per vehicle for calibration is reduced to the time it takes to swap the old handset for the newly calibrated handset you received in the post that morning.  Filling the fuel tank takes longer.

So whilst we would always recommend a certified breathalyzer as a means of testing a person if the results could end up in a court or tribunal situation, surely preventing the possibility of that legal situation from occurring in the first instance is preferable working practice?

From the innovative ‘Lab in a Bag’ concept introduced this year, to the Home Office Approved Draeger range of devices, as supplied to a variety of customers such as Wincanton, BP and H M Prisons,  AlcoDigital are the UK’s largest breathalyzer retailer and service centre supplying individual, commercial, clinical and Police use devices for nearly 10 years.

It’s a bit like CCTV.  5 years ago it was a rarity, but now they’re fitted as a matter of course.  One day it could well be like that with the Drivealyzer.

For more information please visit www.AlcoDigital.co.uk or call us on 0844 585 5050.

Launching the AlcoDigital Drivealyzer

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Ever noticed how you go through life, and for a specific part of it (usually after the hangovers but before the golf) you seem to hear the words “We’ve got something to tell you…”

Well now it’s our turn – we have a new baby!

This week saw us at Birmingham’s NEC Coach & Bus Show 2011 launching our latest device – the AlcoDigital Drivealyzer.

Manufactured using the British-made Dart Fuel Cell Sensor, the Drivealyzer ignition interlock is a combined breathalyzer and immobiliser that puts a stop to drink driving by preventing the vehicle from starting unless the driver has a less than pre-set level of alcohol in their system.

Certified by the US DoT, the unit is available to purchase outright for £595 with an annual maintenance fee of £90, or for Contract hire at just £5 per unit per week.  

From rolling re-tests required at random intervals to prevent surrogate samples being provided; to exchangeable calibrated handsets meaning zero vehicle down-time; the AlcoDigital Drivealyzer protects drivers, passengers and businesses at an affordable price.

Full details can be found on our website at http://www.drivealyzer.com  or via our sales number 0844 585 5050.

Following the Irish

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Well it seems our Irish neighbours have started a bit of a trend.

“Alex Attwood Wants Tougher Drink Driving Laws” as reported on the BBC News website 26 September 2011, states Northern Ireland’s intention to lower the current drink drive limit from 80 milligrammes down to 50 milligrammes, in line with the rest of our European neighbours.

There is also discussion of bringing the limit for new drivers and professional operators down to just 20 milligrammes – a quarter of the limit in place at this time (and the same limit that currently applies to Air, Rail & Maritime Workers).

About time.  Surely it can’t be THAT long till Mainland UK come into line with the rest of Europe?  Northern Ireland is clearly almost there, what are we doing lagging behind…?

Seems we need our Irish fellows to lead the way.

For a range of devices suitable to your needs, visit our website or call us on 0844 585 5050.

Ireland lower Drink Drive Limit

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Following on from a recent article in BBC News (“‘Shock’ at Police Drink Drive Campaign Results” BBC News 1 August 2011) it was pleasing to discover that finally at least Ireland are taking the proactive approach to tackling the drink-drive limit.

This autumn, the standard level for drivers in the Republic of Ireland will reduce from the current limit of 35 microgrammes per 100ml down to 22 microgrammes, a drop of a third.

The permitted level for learner, newly qualified and professional drivers (Taxis, Minibuses, Buses and Goods Vehicles over 3,500kg) will be reduced even further to a mere 9 microgrammes per 100ml, bringing the Republic of Ireland in line with countries such as Norway and Sweden. At such a level, even a single drink could potentially put the driver ‘over the limit’.

There are a variety of devices out there that can assist in the prevention of drink driving – but when dealing with such low levels accuracy is the key. Professional drivers (who lose their career when they lose their licence) should be aware of the dangers of cheaper devices where accuracy can vary by as much as 25% – even straight from the factory.

The AlcoDigital 3000 uses the same Police-grade sensor as the Home Office Approved Draeger 6510 – but without the certification cost.

Full details can be found at www.alcodigital.co.uk/3000.

What’s your license worth?

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Times are tough at the moment. And I’m pretty sure it’s not just us. Nearly everyone I know has foregone socialising out for dinner parties in. It’s just that little bit cheaper, easier and let’s face it, for the hosts, there’s none of the “who’s driving vs. taxi” debate.

But what about the guests…?

We recently had a bunch of friends over for dinner, a lovely summers evening spent on the patio with good food, good wine and good company. The evening slowly drew to a close, and the last few headed off. Luckily, being in the business we are, we could check the drivers and make sure they were ok.
We have a huge range of detectors we can use (to check ourselves as well as our friends!) but personally, I would always go for a Draeger. We’ve sold them for the best part of a decade, I would literally trust them with my life.

Whilst most people couldn’t justify the cost of the Police Standard Draeger 6510, the AlcoDigital 3000 (manufactured for us BY Draeger) is more likely to be in the acceptable price range. And at a third of the price (but with the same police-grade accuracy) surely it’s worth the equivalent of the cost of a night in a decent hotel? (unless of course you’d prefer a night in the cells..)

For full details of the AlcoDigital 3000, visit our website at http://www.alcodigital.co.uk/personal_breathalyzers/premiere_range/alcodigital3000.htm or call our sales team on 0844 585 5050.

How safe are YOUR children?

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Just imagine, you get your child up in the morning, get them dressed, feed them their breakfast, walk them to the bus stop, wave goodbye as the school bus takes them away.

A short while later, there is a telephone call. There has been an accident. The person responsible for the safe transportation of your child to school was under the influence.

It sounds like the opening of a movie, but in fact was reality only yesterday.

BBC News reported on this very incident. (‘Man arrested after school bus crash near Abergavenny’ BBC News 12 April 2011)

Luckily, there was only one injury (although who is to say what knock-on effect will be felt). But the sad thing is, at this stage, there is no law in place to PREVENT this type of accident.

A Draeger Interlock fitted to the vehicle could have prevented this from ever happening – it is designed SPECIFICALLY to prevent any vehicle being operated if alcohol is detected. It literally immobilises the ignition in the presence of alcohol.

And from August 2011, the fitting of an Interlock on School Buses is mandatory for France, Sweden and Finland. Surely it’s about time we ensured OUR children were as safe as our neighbours?

For more details see our website here or call us on 0844 585 5050.

So what do these Breathalyzer accuracy percentages actually mean?

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One of the most confusing things for the potential purchaser in the wonderful world of Breathalyzers is establishing exactly what sort of level of accuracy these devices have.

There are numerous companies out there (some with far higher marketing budgets than accurate production cost interests) who would have you believe their £25 unit is state-of-the-art, with levels of accuracy that rival the Police grade units.   When you consider that an ACTUAL police grade unit is at least £700, you would think that it would be clear that a device that cheap can give little more than a few beeps and a colourful light display.  But let’s look at these accuracy claims.

As a rule, devices which cost upto about the £60 mark are generally quoted as having an accuracy level of about “+/-0.02%BAC at the drink drive limit” – all of which sounds very impressive.  But put into perspective, what it ACTUALLY means is that if the drink limit reads as 80mg, the device can be accurate by plus or minus 20mg – therefore a variable accuracy rate of 25%.  Thats a big stretch.  And that’s at the drink drive limit.  At a quarter of the drink drive limit – the limit that anyone who works in Air, Rail or Maritime industries has to comply to – the accuracy rate technically would be plus or minus 100%.  Ouch.

ACTUAL police grade detectors (such as the Home Office Approved Draeger 6510 or the AlcoDigital 3000 which uses the same sensor) have an accuracy rate of plus or minus upto 2%.   In otherwords, that equivalent 80mg readout would vary by UPTO plus or minus 1.6mg.

There’s good reason these devices cost more.  That’s because they work.

Morning-after drink driving on the rise

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New figures have been released by Which? in relation to the levels of UK drink driving – which make for some sobering reading. (“38% drive the morning after drinking to excess” Which.co.uk, 14 December 2010)

Despite the years of active anti drink-drive campaigns, it seems we still don’t seem to connect consumption the night before with morning-after results.

Road Safety charity Brake and insurer Direct Line found 38% of motorcyclists admitted to driving the morning after a night of heavy consumption – an increase of 10% on 7 years ago.

In real terms this equates to 7 drink-drive deaths and 28 serious injuries EVERY WEEK in 2009, with an estimated 80 road deaths a year caused by people who believed they were sober enough to drive, but still had traces of alcohol in their blood.

Come on now, don’t become a statistic.  Check yourself the morning-after and make sure you’re zero.