The latest Home Office data reveals that the number of roadside breath tests declined during 2024.
Figures supplied by 26 police forces across England and Wales show that, from January to December 2024, a total of 167,095 roadside breath tests took place.
By comparison, 167,384 tests were performed during 2023, representing a 0.2 percent decrease from the previous year.
Information included in the Home Office Police Powers and Procedures report does not include all police forces across Britain. Notably, it excludes those where concerns have been raised about the accuracy and completeness of breath test recording.
However, even without major forces such as the Metropolitan Police and Greater Manchester Police included, the decrease is a concern for road safety campaigners.
Sending the wrong message to drivers
The Home Office data shows that almost 25,000 drivers included in these latest statistics failed a breath test, or refused to take one. This means around 15 percent of tests could potentially lead to a prosecution.
Department for Transport data reveals that an estimated 260 people were killed in collisions where at least one driver was over the drink-drive limit.
Hunter Abbott, managing director of breathalyser firm AlcoSense, said the level of testing is worrying, given the scale of drink driving on Britain’s roads.
“A reduction in breath tests, however slight, sends exactly the wrong message to motorists,” said Abbott, a former British Touring Car Championship star. “Drink driving continues to kill far too many people every year, yet police are carrying out considerably fewer tests than they did in the past.”
Other countries lead the way
Although Home Office data on roadside breath test figures for years before 2023 is not directly comparable, a peak of 647,380 tests was recorded in 2009.
However, even this is far below the number of roadside breath tests undertaken by police forces in other countries.
During 2024, police forces in Australia performed almost 10.3 million random breath tests, while 4.1 million were undertaken by New Zealand Police.
Testing levels in England and Wales also lag far behind many European countries, with just five breath tests per 1,000 inhabitants. This compares to 18 tests per 1,000 people in Ireland and 109 in France.
Abbott says the drop in traffic police numbers is likely to be a key factor in the figures recorded across England and Wales. The number of dedicated traffic officers has fallen from 5,005 in 2015 to 3,889 in 2025 – a 22 percent decrease.
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Context:
UK breath tests dropped while 260 people died in drink-drive collisions in 2024.
Context:
Fewer tests may embolden drunk drivers and undermine road safety deterrence efforts.
Context:
UK conducts just 5 tests per 1,000 people compared to France's 109 per 1,000.
