How often are you being breath tested?

alias no.9

There's a few threads about the VFI comments relating to the changes to the permissable blood alcohol levels for drivers. It is my contention that reducing the limit is pointless until we have effective enforcement. The Donegal County Coroner, Dr. John Madden has also publicly articulated this view and he has more exposure than most to the effects of drink driving.
I was going to reply to the latest thread but I couldn't include a poll enquiring about the frequency at which people are undergoing random breath tests. It's now three years since the introduction of Random Breath Testing so I'm asking people how many times they've been bagged. I want to do this to illustrate the fact that if people aren't being breath tested, the limit itself is irrelevant.
If there is to be an effective deterrent, there has to be a strong chance of getting caught each and every time somebody gets into a car with drink on them.

Mena

Never, not once. In 10 years driving in Ireland (20 years driving in total), I've been stopped at one checkpoint, and that was for tax/insurance about 5 years ago.

J-blk

Never - I've been driving here for the last 4 years and have only ever been stopped at a single check point. All they wanted to see was the tax disc at the time...

R.O.R

Once in over 10 years of driving in Ireland.

That was at about 06.40 on a Monday morning on the main road out of Drogheda. Same checkpoint was there the previous week but I was waved through first time.

I don't do a lot of driving in the evenings or weekends though.

Cookie_Monster

stopped 3 times breathilysed at 2 of them.

Was driving friends home one night and got stooped to do it. 4/5 mins later was coming back the other way through same checkpoint and pulled over again.

Asked "When was the last time you were asked for to take a test"
I said 5 mins ago by your collegue there and she (garda) said Ok so thats fine off you go.

I could have been slightly drunk and gotten away with it there, she didn't even check with the other garda.

JMcCR

Once in 8 years.

Fey!

I've never been bagged, but I did get randomly stopped at 4am on my way to Rally Ireland back in February (blue lights and all!). That was up around Castlerea.

As for checkpoints, the last one I saw was between Kilcolgan and Clarinbridge in April 2007. The giveaway was the tailback for 2 miles on either side. They packed up the checkpoint 2 cars before I got to it!

VERYinterested

I see a regular Garda presence near where I live. I was bagged last year near the 'rindabite' near Bugler's Pub on Ballyboden Road in Dublin 16. 1st time in 22 years driving and I do a fair bit of night driving. I gave up the demon drink over 6 years ago so the test was clear, much to the Garda's disappointment

I have seen many road blocks over the years pre random breath testing and you'd want to be rightly pissed not to have sailed through one of them. I have to say the attitude towards drink driving is definitely different now to what it was when I started driving in 1987. It was generally accepted that you'd be ok with a skinful on you, once you could see through one eye :eek:, now, thankfully I see people castigated by their mates if they even think about it.

Zube

Once, four o'clock on a Saturday afternoon on the dualler heading west out of Dublin towards the M50.

Not, I would suspect, the most likely time or place to catch drunk drivers.

Saab Ed

I just voted once but infact I forgot it was actualy my wife that got tested that night. I wsa infakt under the afluence of incahol that evening . 15 years of driving and never once ...mad. I've seen more dipping for green than I have random breath tests...mad.

Tony H

I have never been tested in 30 years of driving and until January of this year my wife had not either , since January she had been tested 4 times, the Guards where we live always have the checkpoint in the same place , If it was really random ie stopping people in different places I think it would be more effective .

The Big Red Button

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

stopped 3 times breathilysed at 2 of them.

Was driving friends home one night and got stooped to do it. 4/5 mins later was coming back the other way through same checkpoint and pulled over again.

Asked "When was the last time you were asked for to take a test"
I said 5 mins ago by your collegue there and she (garda) said Ok so thats fine off you go.

I could have been slightly drunk and gotten away with it there, she didn't even check with the other garda.

One evening I drove to my boyfriends house, collected him and drove him back along the same road to go to the shop, then drove back to his house again.

They were breathalysing at a roundabout on the way, and I was breathalysed by the same Garda all three times!! :rolleyes:

I said it to her the second time, but she just said that she didn't remember me and I had to do it again.

I didn't bother saying anything the third time but she looked a little bit embarrassed about it, she might have realised half way through.

I was breathalysed at least once apart from that ... maybe more, not sure. More than most people here it seems! I haven't been breathalyed at all in the last 12-18 months though.

North_West_Art

4 times in the last year Ive been breathelized, from 1pm in the afternoon to 2.30am. I live in Donegal.

helimachoptor

Twice since the random checks were brought in. Once when my Gf picked me up and I was hammered the gardai gave me a test for the crack

alias no.9

Interesting to see that so many have still never been bagged. The random breath testing was a major step forward in that the Gardai no longer had to justify bagging someone at a random check. The subsequent reduction in fatalities was proof positive of its effectiveness. They are however very conctrained in their application because despite the use of the term random, that randomness comes only from the people who happen to pass the predefined location during a predefined time period as signed off by the chief super in advance.
In Oregon in the US, they have what they call an 'Implied Consent' law which means that through your action in getting behind the wheel of a car, you are automatically giving consent to a breath test. I think that is something that needs to be considered here.

h3000

First and only time was about 2 years back.

EDIT: Driving 12k > 16k miles per year for over ten years.

pred racer

Never!

seamus

I drive less then 5k/year, so only been done once. And it didn't work that time.

Sleepy

Once - on the Rock Road at 3am while collecting my girlfriend from town who'd been out that night. Seemed a good spot for testing tbh but I've never seen them there again.

Drive about 30k a year.

Cookie_Monster

helimachoptor wrote: »

Twice since the random checks were brought in. Once when my Gf picked me up and I was hammered the gardai gave me a test for the crack

how'd that go?

Sleepy wrote:

Once - on the Rock Road at 3am while collecting my girlfriend from town who'd been out that night. Seemed a good spot for testing tbh but I've never seen them there again.

Just outside the garda station in Blackrock by any chance? Laziest checkpoint in the world there, they go 5m from the front door max.

Breath tested once in 7 years of driving and it was over 2 years ago. I do and have done a lot driving also.

On a side note a friend of mine was Breathalyzed recently in the afternoon he had been on a massive session the night before until the eairly hours and was not long after having a pint for the cure when he came on the checkpoint and he blew 0. He said he actually said 'really' to the guard without thinking as he was so relieved he was sure he was going down.

The Big Red Button

helimachoptor wrote: »

Twice since the random checks were brought in. Once when my Gf picked me up and I was hammered the gardai gave me a test for the crack

They did that with my mum's friend who was in the passenger seat once, she'd had four glasses of wine over about 3-4 hours and she passed! I was really surprised at that.

drunkymonkey

6 years driving, only had to blow once!

corcaigh07

once but i was caught speeding at the time on the Cashel bypass heading up for all-ireland final weekend in 2005 so dont know if that counts. Could have been tested in Bantry two weeks ago as the garda had the breath test in his hand ready to go. he had a word with me and made a judgement call. I told him "not a drop...........yet!"

james1234

Never been tested at all, mind you I don;t drive that much at nights, so that might be an influence seeing as most checks are late at night.

chatterpillar wrote: »

They did that with my mum's friend who was in the passenger seat once, she'd had four glasses of wine over about 3-4 hours and she passed! I was really surprised at that.

It takes approximately 1 hour for a unit of alcohol (approx 1 glass of wine) to go through your system, so your mum's friend probably wouldn't have actually been over the limit, whereas if she had drank say 4 glasses in an hour, then yes she would have been way over.

tuxy

Never tested but had the car searched a few times under the misuse of drugs act. Apparently if you drive around a town at 3 in the morning it's suspicious activity.

Voodoomelon

Results might be slightly skewed as you'll have people who have only been driving far less than 3 years or who drive very little voting Never.

Also a Never here.

SmandyMaguire

never in 5 years driving. was in Oz for a month and got breathalyzed twice

alias no.9

Voodoomelon wrote: »

Results might be slightly skewed as you'll have people who have only been driving far less than 3 years or who drive very little voting Never.

Also a Never here.

I put the poll in for 3 days and the response has been pretty quick. If there is a large enough response, it should reflect a good cross section of the overall driving population, amongst whom there will be people who have been driving less than 3 years or who drive very little. I'm going to bump it frequently (if that's ok with mods) to make sure it sits on the boards main page to capture non-motors respondants.

dudara

Never been stopped for a test altough I have been waved through a fair few checkpoints where they were testing. I've just never been that every 5th person (or whatever they use).

SV

Once, in..just over 2 years of driving.