Practical Measuring Device Intensifies the Hunt for Europe's Alcohol Abusers

WISMAR, Germany, June 12 -- People still dash home in the car after a fun, alcohol-soaked party or barbeque evening. The risk of being asked to blow into the bag is often regarded as slight. However, the situation could soon change. Police in parts of Germany and Austria are now using substantially more practical breathalyser equipment to carry out quicker and more accurate checks and pressure on drunken drivers is growing. In the Netherlands, too, the new equipment has been authorised for use.

A study recently conducted by the European Commission shows that each year 10,000 people under the influence of alcohol are killed on Europe's roads. Around 10 per cent of accidents involving serious injury can be attributed to alcohol, and drink driving causes around 20 per cent of fatal accidents.

The breathalyser tests conducted by the police are, of course, annoying and unpleasant, but they do save many people's lives. Officials using the AlcoQuant 6020 equipment are more successful in catching alcohol abusers, as they can carry out checks more efficiently over a wider area.

"The AlcoQuant is considerably faster than traditional testing equipment," explains Marcus Lindenlaub, Managing Director of the Wismar-based manufacturer Envitec, a subsidiary of the Honeywell Group. "The whole testing procedure lasts a maximum of 20 seconds." This is made possible by a self-developed electro-chemical sensor which reacts exclusively to alcohol and an electric current and which serves as a basis of calculation of the permille. After a reading, the apparatus is ready for use again in a couple of seconds.