A proposal to empower Police to conduct random breath tests aims to offer a strong deterrent against drink driving, Deputy Secretary for Transport & Housing (Transport) Annette Lee says. Handy breath-test equipment will be introduced to minimise inconvenience caused to road users.

Speaking on a radio talk show this morning, Ms Lee said many countries require drivers to provide a breath specimen for a screening breath test without the need for any reasonable suspicion. Examples include South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and some European countries.

She said Police will issue internal guidelines to ensure random breath tests will not cause too much inconvenience or traffic jams.

Guidelines details

Police Senior Superintendent Shirley Chu said only officers who have received training on handling drink-driving cases are allowed to conduct random breath tests. About 1,100 officers have been trained to carry out such action.

Random tests will be conducted only during a roadblock blitz, she noted, adding officers will make sure tests are carried out under safe conditions.

Police are planning to introduce handy equipment for the tests. The new tools can provide a result in about four seconds. Only those who test positive must have another more detailed breath test.

Good driving habits

The Government has also proposed extending the probationary driving-licence scheme to novice private-car and light-goods-vehicle drivers to enhance road safety.

Ms Lee said statistics show that drivers are more likely to get involved in traffic accidents during their first year of driving, and the figure significantly drops when they gain more experience.