Automobile Association welcomes breathalyser testing

The Barbados Automobile Association (BAA) has welcomed the pending introduction of breathalyser testing, saying it is another tool in the arsenal to help reduce road accidents and fatalities.

President Adrian Linton said that with there already being many distractions for drivers, it was good that the issue of impairment from alcohol consumption could finally be addressed.

“As social drinking is very much the norm in Barbados, introduction of breathalyser testing may be seen by some as a negative. We have all heard the ‘I can hold my drinks’ rhetoric, but scientific testing proves otherwise. Motor skills and reaction time are impaired,” he said.

“Does breathalyser testing mean an end to social drinking and partying? Absolutely not, but it does mean a change in mindset as it relates to transportation arrangements for those who enjoy the consumption of alcohol – a greater reliance on designated drivers, taxis, buses and friends who do not drink.”

Linton said the association hoped breathalyser testing “would not be carried out punitively”.

Pointing out that Barbadians who travel overseas and visitors from most of the island’s source markets are very aware of the laws related to drunk driving, he said: “It should come as no surprise that this legislation has come to the island at last.”

The BAA is a member of the Barbados Motoring Federation.