The number of breathalyser tests carried out needs to be known before celebrating the fact nobody was caught driving above the blood alcohol limit on New Year’s Eve, insurers’ association head Adrian Galea has said.

On Wednesday, the police said in a statement that following checks at various localities on New Year’s Eve, not a single motorist was caught driving while over the alcohol limit.

The localities included Attard, Burmarrad, Fgura, Floriana, San Ġwann, Sliema, St Julian’s, Swieqi, Rabat, Żabbar and Żejtun.

Later, in a second statement, the police said officers inspecting vehicles the following morning identified two drivers under the influence.

One of them tried to escape but was again stopped by the police some moments later. A further 69 motorists were caught breaking other road rules.

But while the news about the apparent lack of drink-driving on Malta’s roads quickly made headlines, Mr Galea said one should not rush to the conclusion that the problem of drivers getting behind the wheel drunk had been resolved.

In order to be able to say with certainty that fewer people were breaking drink-driving laws, the police needed to reveal how many breathalyser tests were actually carried out, Mr Galea said.

“The numbers need to be studied closely. If fewer checks were carried out, then it only stands to reason that the likelihood of catching drunk drivers is lower,” Mr Galea said.

If fewer checks were carried out, then it only stands to reason that the likelihood of catching drunk drivers is lower

If, indeed, fewer checks were carried out than in previous years, he went on, the police would need to explain why this was so.

“Did they have less suspicions or were they just looking the other way?” he queried.

In their statement, the police did not say how many motorists had been subjected to a breathalyser test or how many vehicles had been stopped for checks in all.

When contacted, a spokesman for the police said officers never keep a record of tests that turn out negative so they could not provide the total number of tests carried out.

When asked how such data could be analysed without the entire number being known, the spokesman explained that the police outsource such research to breathalyser companies.

On the total number of cars stopped, the spokesman said the data would be available in the coming days.  

A year ago, the police had breathalysed five motorists of the 558 they had stopped on New Year’s Eve, with three of them testing positive for drink-driving.

Two years ago, police stopped more than 1,800 motorists but again did not catch a single drink-driver.

The authorities have been attempting to clamp down on drink-driving, revising the rules in 2017 that saw the lowering of the alcohol consumption threshold.

A man of average build can now drink no more than a large glass of wine to remain within the limit. Women would be allowed a small glass of wine.

Under current laws, the police must have reasonable suspicion that a driver is under the influence of alcohol to impose a breathalyser test.

Asked about this aspect of the law, Mr Galea said that if several people were caught breaking the law, this should empower the police to apply breathalyser tests without requiring reasonable suspicion. 

“The association encourages amendments to legislation which empower police to randomly test for alcohol and drug use, even after serious accidents,” he said.

Social media warnings

People have recently started taking to social media to warn others about roadblocks, informing fellow motorists of the location of the police through Facebook.

One secret Facebook group on New Year’s Eve ran an appeal for “anyone who comes across something” to notify members of the group straightaway “to avoid tragedies, needless tickets and danger”.

Asked whether he believed this could have contributed to the low number of people caught over the alcohol limit on New Year’s Eve, Mr Galea said there were plenty of ways drivers could inform others, not just through such these platforms.

The police, he said, were aware of this latest online phenomenon and were following the issue.

Why were drivers fined?

During the road checks on New Year’s Eve, a total of 69 persons were fined. Among them:

▪ Two were driving under the influence of alcohol.
▪ Seven were driving without a valid road licence.
▪ Eleven were driving without a seatbelt.
▪ Ten were found to have lights not in accordance with the law.
▪ Fourteen had unauthorised tinted glass on their vehicles.