Manchester’s motorists are breathalysed more often than almost anywhere else in UK

New figures show Manchester motorists are breathalysed more often than anywhere else in the country, apart from Thames Valley in the South-East.

Analysis of Home Office data by breathalyser firm AlcoSense reveals that 11,780 roadside breath tests were undertaken by Greater Manchester Police in 2022.

Lancashire was ranked third with 11,617 tests. 

A total of 2,580 motorists in Greater Manchester were found to be ‘over the limit’ – again the second highest number in England and Wales.

The failure rate at 22% was significantly higher than the national average of 17%.

“I’d like to see more forces follow the example of Greater Manchester Police,” comments Hunter Abbott, MD of AlcoSense Laboratories.

“If you drink four pints of medium-strong beer or four large glasses of wine, it can take as long as 14 hours for the alcohol to clear your system.

“At the drink-drive limit in England and Wales you are 13 times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash than when sober”. 

Nationally there were 260 deaths where a motorist was over the drink drive limit – including 30 in the North-West, an alarming increase of 18% over the previous year and the highest since 2009.  Drunk drivers accounted for 17% of all road fatalities.

The Department for Transport estimate that the total number of people injured in drink drive accidents was 6,740 – up 4%.

“The rules are simple,” adds Hunter Abbott.  “If you’ve been drinking in the evening, don’t drive.  If you’re driving the next day, test yourself with a personal breathalyser to make sure you’re clear of alcohol”.

One in five drink drive convictions are the ‘morning after the night before’.