Prague - Blood tests to determine alcohol intake for drivers may not be necessary in the future. Breath test would be sufficient.
Transfering someone suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol to a location where a blood test can be administered is costly and unnecessary. The breath tests used by police today are very reliable and can preclude the use of other testing.
Minister of the Interior, Ivan Langer, of the Civic Democratic Party (ODS) has proposed this change as a part of his overall reform of police sector. The information was reported by the Právo daily.
Currently, breath tests are used only as approximate indicators and drivers are always taken for blood tests which can serve as evidence in possible legal proceedings.
Reliability questioned
Langer suggests that blood tests should only be carried out at the request of the driver. If a breath test shows the driver has drunk alcohol before driving, he would have to cover the costs of his transfer to the hospital and necessary examination.
The rule that a driver is considered as DUI if he or she refuses to undergo any tests would remain unchanged.
Some however point to alleged unreliability of the instruments used by the police. Aside from modern digital devices, uncertified instruments are still sometimes used. The most disputed is a classic glass-tube test device.
If the proposed law is passed, it will come into force in January 2009 at the earliest.
