Milestones to Breath Testing

1872 Licensing Act made it an offence to be "drunk while in charge on any highway or other public place of any carriage, horse, cattle or steam engine".

1925 The 1872 offence was extended to cover "any mechanically propelled vehicle".

1927 The BMA published "Tests for Drunkenness" responding to concerns of motorists charged with serious offences being given the chance of a fair defence. In the same year the Court of Appeal quashed the conviction of a person a jury had found guilty of being incapable of driving a car through alcohol though he was not "drunk" in the conventional sense! The learned judge remarked that "drunk" is what an ordinary reasonable person would consider as such.

1932 Professor Widmark of the University of Lund, Sweden, provides the means for scientific testing of the amount of alcohol content in the blood. Such testing was adopted in Scandinavian countries.

1932 "If you drink don't drive. If you drive don't drink." Poster message first issued by the United Kingdom Alliance.

1935 BMA publish "Relation of Alcohol to Road Accidents" at request of the Minister of Transport, Mr Hore Belisha

1936 United Kingdom Alliance begins campaign for introduction of scientific testing for blood alcohol concentration in UK.

1939 House of Lords Select Committee recommend testing to be carried out on a voluntary basis with the hope that at a later date the public will be so educated as to agree that these tests should be made obligatory.

1951 "Don't Drink and Drive" message taken up by Ministry of Transport in Christmas broadcast.

1954 BMA report on "Recognition of Intoxication".

1959 Medical Research Council publish the report "Effects of Small Doses of Alcohol on a Skill Resembling Driving" by Professor G. C. Drew.

1960 BMA report "Relation of Alcohol to Road Accidents".

1962 Borkenstein's Grand Rapids study.

1962 Road Traffic Act allowed a police constable to request a sample of blood or urine from an accused motorist but did not make it compulsory nor did it set an alcohol limit.

1963 132 deaths on the roads over Christmas with Road Research Laboratory stating "consumption of alcohol was the main factor in increasing the casualty rate".

1965 Publication of White Paper "Road Safety Legislation 1965-66" by Tom Fraser, Minister of Transport.

1965 Barbara Castle introduces Bill. Delayed by General Election but re-introduced after the Labour Government's re-election.

1966 Barbara Castle introduces Bill. Delayed by General Election but re-intorduced after the Labour Government's re-election.