Sensitisation on breathalyser testing continuing

With breathalyser testing to go into force here soon, Police Public Relations Officer Acting Inspector Rodney Inniss is warning that a person who has the keys to a vehicle in their possession is considered to have control of that vehicle and can also be penalised for driving under the influence of alcohol.

Speaking to the media on Thursday after a sensitisation session on breathalyser testing, he reminded that a person in control of a vehicle is someone who is either sitting behind the wheel, driving or has the keys to the vehicle.

Section 85 (1) of the Road Traffic (Amendment) Act 2017-2 states that no person shall drive, attempt to drive, or be in charge of a motor vehicle on a road or in any other public place whilst that person has consumed alcohol in such a quantity that the proportion in his breath or blood exceeds the prescribed limit of 35 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath.

“If you are in the vehicle, whether behind the driver’s seat or not, and you have the keys to the vehicle, meaning you control who drives away that vehicle, you are said to be in charge of that vehicle. If you are drunk or if you are sober and you are in your vehicle and you have the keys to the vehicle, nobody will be able to drive away that vehicle by legal means other than you, so you are the person in charge of the vehicle,” Inspector Inniss explained.

He said that as the Barbados Police Service prepares to implement the breathalyser testing, possibly within a few weeks, more than 90 officers have already been trained to carry out the test.

Although he had announced earlier this month that April 1 would mark the start of the long-awaited breathalyser testing, Inspector Inniss said confirmation would come from officials in due course.

“In light of ongoing training . . . that formal [start] will be announced by, most likely, the minister or somebody in authority,” the officer said.

The amendment to the Road Traffic Act was introduced in 2017 to modernise law enforcement’s capacity to deal with persons who are suspected of driving, attempting to drive or being in control of a motor vehicle whilst under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

The police PRO said that at this time, the Police Service, in conjunction with the Ministry of Transport and Works, has been working closely with insurance companies to educate the public on the pros and cons of breathalyser testing, including its fairness and the tool used to carry out the test.

“We want them to walk the walk with us and don’t see us as putting up a fence or trying to lock up people. We want people to understand that our objective is to make the roads of Barbados safer for all of us.

“We need to sensitise our internal customers as well so that we are all aware, and what happened today is just an example of that. We have a lot of this going forward; we have only just started,” Inspector Inniss said. (AH)