Alcohol Interlock to put brakes on repeat drink-drivers

Updated August 01, 2012 13:35:50

Repeat drink-drivers in Roebourne can volunteer to have breathalysers installed in their cars as part of a Western Australian Government scheme to improve road safety.

The Alcohol Interlock requires drivers to take a breath test before driving and will prevent them from starting their car if they have alcohol in their system.

Three devices will be given to Roebourne police in a trial which could be implemented elsewhere if it successfully curbs drink-driving.

Police Minister Liza Harvey says she will be closely monitoring the trial.

"This is an after-market type fitting where it gets fitted by an auto electrician," she said.

"You need to blow zero to be able to drive the vehicle.

"That's one of the issues that we need to check, to make sure that if the vehicle does get disabled then there's an ability for people to get the vehicle back on the road if they want to drive it legally."

She says if the devices are successful in curbing drink-driving in Roebourne, they could be implemented elsewhere.

"So it basically causes a break between the drinking and the driving and disables the vehicle to stop the driver from being able to continue if they wanted to drive," she said.

"It will give us some really good data to work out what we need to do to make sure that the interlock trial will work in remote and regional communities."

Topics: traffic-offences, states-and-territories, programs-and-initiatives, roebourne-6718, karratha-6714

First posted August 01, 2012 13:34:39