The Times - UK (2020-08-28)

22 1GM Friday August 28 2020 | the times

News

The government is planning to intro-
duce “alcolocks” in cars and more accu-
rate roadside breathalysers after a rise
in drink-driving crashes.
A set of new measures could be im-
plemented by ministers as soon as next
year because of concerns over the stub-
bornly high number of injuries and
deaths linked to drink-driving.
Figures published by the Depart-
ment for Transport show that there
were 5,890 crashes recorded in 2018 in
which at least one driver was over the
limit, a rise of 3 per cent in 12 months.
It was revealed that 8,680 people
were injured or killed in crashes involv-
ing a driver who was over the limit,
which was up by 1 per cent compared
with a year earlier. The figures showed
a slight decline in drink-driving deaths

— from an estimated 250 in 2017 to 240

a year later — though the department

said that this was “not statistically sig-

nificant”.

The government is investigating the

case for alcolocks in cars owned by

JANE BARLOW/PA

Heart patients could be spared regular
hospital visits by a smartwatch app that
lets them monitor their condition at
home.
Until now, doctors have had to see
patients because of the expertise
needed to interpret electrocardiograms

How it works

Driver breathes into

breathalyser and

alcohol level is

determined

Car is immobilised

if alcohol level is

above a set limit

1

2

UNABLECAR

TO DRIVE

Drink-drive plan for ‘alcolocks’

in cars after crashes increase

people previously convicted of a drink-

driving offence. The devices, already

widespread in other parts of the world,

measure the alcohol in a driver’s breath

and prevent the car from starting if they

are over the limit.

The Parliamentary Advisory Council

for Transport Safety is running a gov-

ernment-funded competition to devel-

op roadside breathalysers. Shortlisted

companies will be awarded up to

£350,000 to develop devices capable of

officially recording alcohol levels before

drivers have the chance to sober up.

The present breathalyser is a screen-

ing device, insufficient for prosecution,

meaning that drivers normally have to

be taken to a police station for a blood or

urine test.

The council hoped that one or more

devices from the competition could be

operated by police forces throughout

the UK by October next year.

Graeme Paton
Transport Correspondent

Proud Scot Harry Brechin, a historical actor, at Arbroath Abbey for the 700th

anniversary of the Arbroath Declaration proclaiming Scotland’s independence

New watch app will flag up a dicky ticker

(ECGs), which provide data on the

heart’s rhythm and electrical activity.

However, some smartwatches can

provide ECGs, and researchers at Man-

chester University have found how to

turn these readings into on-screen

colours. Warmer tones indicate a great-

er risk of complications, at which point

a patient should contact their doctor.

One condition it can monitor is long

QT syndrome, in which the heart mus-

cles take longer to recharge. It affects

about one in 2,000 people. If the gap

between beats is too long, it can lead to

“a life-threatening arrhythmia”, said

the researchers, whose study was pub-

lished in PLOS One, the Public Library

of Science journal.

Kaya Burgess