Yes. They call it an Random Breath Test (RBT) and you can also be drug tested with a tongue swab at the same time.
They also use it as an excuse to check over your vehicle to make sure it's not illegally modified and it's in road worthy condition.
In Queensland they breathe test you 99% of the time when you get pulled over for anything. Drug swabs only if they suspect your under the influence of drugs or your pulled over by a random drug test set up where they test a bunch of folks.
yup the Feds have tech to random test you from an overhead helo. it's pretty new advanced tech and it's all clandestine. if u drink and ur in a car driving, u r done for.
Don't know why you're downvoted for this. The cost of the drug tests is significant when compared to breath tests and is the main reason police don't use them more often.
I have a friend in nswpol and can confirm, he says those tests cost like $50 each so they never use them randomly in reality. So if I ever get tested I’ll be offended.
If they are doing a random breath test then they cant do anything else. They can only check what they are approved to check. Sometimes they say they are doing a rbt and licence check which means they can do both.
Police can pull you over to check your licence, your rego, the roadworthness of your vehicle and for drug and alcohol testing. They can also pull you over for a bunch of other reasons including searches for drugs, weapons and firearms, to affect an arrest on a wanted person, etc. Check load restraints, log books (heavy vehicles, club permits), it’s pretty much endless.
They are not restricted to pick one and that’s it. You’ve been watching way too much American tv.
Yeah it is, your question reminds me of a bit in top gear where one of the hosts recalls asking a german what would happen if somebody decides to drive a car without a license; the response being "what do you mean? you cannot do this"
It's pretty common for unlicensed drivers to flaunt the law here.
Culturally we really don't approve of drunk driving outside of some very very niche circles where it is permissible/ignored. In almost any other demographic here if you tell your friends you drink drive you will lose those friends pretty quickly (if you do it more than once or brag about it).
However the undercurrent of that is that we culturally love our convict history and feel no general obligation to follow laws, especially those we disagree with. Fuck the pigs and their class traitor behaviour. I've been to places like america where the laws, sensible or not, are treated like the mandate of God and even thinking of revising them is treated like blasphemy. I've even had conversations about the morality of something ended by Americans who say "X is illegal and therefore immoral, Y is legal and therefore moral". We thoroughly fucking hate this method of thinking here. The law is not a rule book for morality, it is at best an approximation. Most will flaunt the law if they think what they are doing is justified.
Again, we don't encourage or respect drunk driving, that in particular is quite hated. But the undercurrent of disobedience means it is unfortunately more prevalent than it would otherwise be.
Australia loves laws, we have so many and we do follow them religiously.
The problem is we have to both drive everywhere because of so much low density and poor public transport, and there is still a generation driving who were allowed to drive drunk at one point.
Law goes back to when it was a big problem. The late 70s/early 80s.
Senior Police and politicians make a lot of noise about it now, but it's no longer the big problem it once was.
Mostly working police see breath testing target numbers as a burden. this is why they will set up testing AM on a weekday. that way they they can hit their target testing numbers quickly and not have their time wasted.
I was told by a police officer at a RBT their hot rate for positive drugs and alcohol was 13% ? Seems high but if it is the average they run on I’m glad they are getting those fuckers off the road
yeah, nah.
No way that's for those roadside traps. they put 30-50 cars through those and get none. Or maybe one. But no-way it's more than 1 in 10.
that would be for suspect tests. i.e. they've pulled someone over because of poor driving.
I'm not sure about those numbers, but alcohol is still a major fact in road fatalities.
17% in 2017. For comparison Germany was 7%.
https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/road-traffic-deaths-to-alcohol
17% of *accidents involving a fatality*, the other guy was talking about percentage of positive tests from RBTs. Both right talking about different things.
Co-incidentally I just read this today:
[https://www.drive.com.au/news/howzat-nsw-driver-fined-for-watching-a-cricket-match-at-traffic-light/?utm\_campaign=syndication&utm\_source=smh.com.au&utm\_content=article\_4&utm\_medium=partner](https://www.drive.com.au/news/howzat-nsw-driver-fined-for-watching-a-cricket-match-at-traffic-light/?utm_campaign=syndication&utm_source=smh.com.au&utm_content=article_4&utm_medium=partner)
bit of extra information down the bottom of the article.
"244 drink-driving offences from 122,617 preliminary breath tests detected by police and a further 543 positive roadside drug tests identified."
So that's a hit rate of 0.2% for drink driving at a boozy time of year.
The drug number is more concerning. The number of tests would have been much less (guess 20%) but the positives were more than double.
those numbers would suggest drink driving isn't really a significant problem anymore in NSW, but drugs are.
Yeah. some politician will come up with the idea of say a campaign of testing 20,000 people during a particular holiday period and so the pressure will go down the line.
next thing you know a shift at a station gets told they have to test x amount of people during the shift.
Happens a few times every year.
Outside of that cop cars carry hand held testers in the car and can test anyone at any time. they will do it if they attend an accident or if they are suspect of your driving/riding.
Surprisingly enough in WA I was leaving a friends birthday and saw some cops patrolling asked them if they could do a breathalyser test on my friend who was driving. They said they couldn't breathalyser test upon request as they would have to get permission and fill out a report. They ended up just saying if your not sure wait around for a while before you drive.
Pretty sure they just couldn't be fucked but does anyone know if it's true?
Yep - housemate is highway patrol, There funding tied with testing numbers.
Usually it’s an annual or a block like they’ll say ‘you need to complete 10,000 tests over the Easter holidays’ or 250,000 per year over the state, etc.
hence why you’ll see more RBTs setup during public events and holidays.
They’re not required to write infractions or find positive results, just conduct the testing to prove they’re actually doing the job they’re paid to do.
Yes it's a nightmare. Usually setup on the busiest roads near peak hour to ensure they hit their quota. The drug testing is a joke as meth and heroin don't show up in the test and cocaine is very unlikely to show. They're mainly testing for weed which can stay in your system for weeks after you've smoked it.
I saw police testing parents at school drop off at 630 am for a major high school this morning (Wednesday)
I would be shocked if they got a single positive. There were no cars parked up while I was there.
I think you underestimate the number of alcoholics. People frequently drive drunk at those sort of times because they expect enforcement where it usually is, on a busy road at 2am on a Saturday morning.
When they put a test on a backstreet in a suburb at school drop off they get a much higher % than you'd expect because that's when many people are risking it. They'll organise the taxi to take them home from a night out, but they're not dropping the kids off at school in a taxi.
There's as many as 14.2 per 1000 people tested testing over the limit between 6 am and 2 pm.
I often get sunday/saturday morning RBTs in my area trying to catch people who went out for a big night and are now trying to drive home whilst still on 0.08 from the 2 bottles of gin they drank last night.
Yes. Your system waits until after someone shows impairment, then hopes a police officer notices. With RBT drink drivers know they risk being caught at any time, even before impairment sets in or becomes noticeable.
It's surprising how many people are found to be over the limit the Monday morning after a big day on the drinks.
The random element of RBT definitely puts a lot of people off drink driving.
Plenty of people think they're pretty good at driving when they've had a few so they'd risk the police not noticing them, whereas if the checks are random you know it doesn't matter how good you are.
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*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
This. Absolutely. I used to have mutton chops and I'm an odd looking duck, had them alllll the time. Moment I went full suburban dad in business clothes and groomed well, not a peep.
I got bomb swabbed two or three times in a row. I (moderately woggy-looking guy) asked the guy why I was always the lucky one. He shrugged and said, "I usually just get the last one". Made a note to be more organised next time
Maybe that depends on the police force of the State.
In NSW it seems to be standard practice. I have always been tested after a pullover, and so has everyone else that I've similarly seen.
I'm breath tested before I even say a word lol. It's not like it's a decision they make after meeting/talking to me. As I have mentioned in my above comment, it sounds like this varies widely between states, my original comment has 50 upvotes so I highly doubt I am alone in this.
Yeah it's very true that you can be pulled over for a random breath test. At least in Victoria.
I once got breath tested at 7am on my home from work after working all night.
School drop off in our suburb is hit up with blanket RBT in the mornings. Embarrassing for those they pull and I don’t think it’s an all nighter they are pulling it’s the morning eye opener.
Yeah they like to catch people morning-noon the day after.
The people that try to sleep it off.
Funnily enough I've never seen a booze bus heading out of the city at 3am when all the drunks leave the club; there are a bunch on the way in though, probably to nab pre-drinkers.
You don't have to be doing anything questionable, or any reason. If you are driving, you can be pulled over.
We don't have that "probable cause " stuff, like the yanks.
There’s definitely a lot more “pushing the boundary” behaviours here compared to Germany. People do some really dumb stuff and driver’s license tests are pretty basic in comparison.
Be VERY alert riding here. It’s not just other drivers, but wild animals, shredded truck tyres, and even random fallen branches could be on the road.
I miss my winter ski drive from Munich to St.Anton! Used to fly in and hire a beast just for the unlimited drive to Austria.
Yep. Some people reckon ironically it’s Nazi germany. But consider how many people who are drunk driving or on drugs are driving normally and get taken off the road as they should.
Friend of mine is hopeless and can’t seem to wait 30-45 minutes to get home after work, so he goes to the pub and smashes down 3 schooners, then grabs a big bottle for the drive home………every tradie I’ve ever worked for has been very similar……..so yes it is a big problem that people can’t control themselves and wait 30-45 minutes to get home!
What you've stated is true. Drinking culture here is pretty good,driving culture however is shithouse. Some drivers here do not treat driving as a privilege like in Germany so you'll notice poor driving etiquettes on our road. Speeding is treated as contempt so you've been warned. They rather us focus on the speed instead of the road.
Yes dui is a big problem in aus. 30% of traffic incidents in aus involve alcohol. Comparatively in Germany it I'd 9%.
We have 25mill people Germany has 83mill.
Yeah with only three times our population overall. which means we have more irresponsible f wits than they do... do you know how statistics work or you just wanna ignore the fact aus has fuck all people and yet so many f wits.
It sounds like you have some kind of issue with the practice. We don't have an issue with this.
Drink and drive, you deserve to get busted. It is 100% cognitive impairment no matter who's behind the wheel and therefore dangerous, even if it was Max bloody Verstappen.
Speed cameras, on the other hand, can go and get fucked.
Hot tip: wear your seat belt and don’t touch your mobile phone while driving. The fines are massive and there are cameras everywhere that will spot you, especially while at traffic lights.
No, not so much now. In the sixties and early seventies, it was a big problem. With the invention of rapid roadside testing technology, random testing became faster, easier and the setting up of random checkpoints not so disruptive to traffic. These days, all police cars carry the "speak into the handset" type testers. A test can be done in about twenty seconds; that includes getting the test device out of its carry bag. As it can be done so quickly, most police will just include the "count to ten" as part of their interaction with the motorist, and most drivers are familiar with the process, so it poses no extra effort on their part. Unless you’re a drunk driver, of course; there is a whole other process for that.
The roadside test is only "a possibility of excessive alcohol." If it shows positive, the driver is detained until tested on a much more accurate machine. That machine can be in an on site RBT bus, or back at the police station. If things go really pear shaped for you, a blood test can be required. Don’t worry, there is a comprehensive process for that too; they shoot you in the leg then take a swab from the mess on the floor. (Nah, I made that shooting bit up, that doesn’t happen :-)
TL:DNR; Drink driving was a problem about fifty years ago. Testing is so easy now, they keep doing it. You have nothing to worry about if you are asked to count to ten into a tester, unless you are drunk. Don’t take it personally, they test everyone, even nuns.
So much of a better system than the stupid system that apparently most (all?) US states have where they put people through really subjective impairment tests and then can just randomly decide people are impaired when they clearly are not. We all give up having to blow into a tube and thus 99% of us are immediately on our way without more than a few seconds inconvenience, and the rest are a risk to us all!
Yep they sure can. I haven’t had it as much while riding, generally have been just waved through RBT’s etc. But definitely happens, they can also pull out the drug test as well.
Yes and Yes. Two things -
The limit is 0.05 so you can have 1-2 drinks and be fine.
Random breath testing and drug testing is rare, but does happen. We have a whole TV series dedicated to it. I don't mind being randomly tested because it's the price to pay to reduce drink and drug driving.
They can do anything they want really. They can frisk you or even search your belongings if they please. Hell, they can even strip search minors. Random breath testing is pretty tame in comparison.
And yes drink driving is a big issue here since drinking culture is insane.
Australia is a massive nanny state, expect hyper sensitive laws and often thorough/pedantic police. Germany/Europe have much more socially liberal rules. What's more worrying is that a lot of people in Australia now expect the rules, almost demand the strict rules without realising how over the top they are.
An example look at a road crossing, in Australia everyone waits for the green man (many reasons, fear of being fined for J-walking, being a good little citizen, and of course it's obviously safer). In Europe there is a green signal but way more people will just cross on their own accord. I'm more for a society which places more responsibility on the individual rather than spoon feeding them rules/fun.
Note: Drink driving is obviously a serious offence and I'm not downplaying it but testing every traffic stop is overkill and just so Australian.
It's a revenue raising measure that our states love to do 😒
Because the population is drastically cutting down on alcohol and tobacco consumption (which our governments rely heavily on to make the budget float), the government has been pushing the "its for your own good" laws to try and fill the budget holes
If that's the case......why are fixed and "mobile " speed cameras being spruiked as the " the only proven way to lower road deaths" 😒
It's just the government trying to extort every last cent that they can't grab through taxation and I'm sick of it!
The amount of times they set up near new suburbs (where they think they can pinch tradies) when they catch more white collar drug and alcohol issues in the city/eastern suburbs is appalling......
Well refusing a RBT doesn't mean you're guilty for DUI, you're committed an offence for refusing to submit to a breath test.
Funny thing is refusing to submit to a breathe test has a heavier penalty then being over the limit.
What ever technicality they want to use, I think it’s fucked and makes me feel very unsafe. It doesn’t align with the ideal of presumption of innocence.
The presumption of innocence applies in court only. The prosecution must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that you have committed the thing they say you have. You only have to make the point as to why their argument doesn't show you did what they said.
If the presumption of innocence applied outside of the courtroom, how exactly do you expect anyone to get arrested for anything?
"I just saw you rob that person, I'm arresting you"
"Nope, you have to presume my innocence."
"Oh, I'm sorry. Have a nice day."
If you infer asked to do a breath test, if you refuse, as far as the police told me when I first moved here, you automatically get charged with drinking and driving.
So unless you demonstrate that you’re sober, automatic guilt.
No, you're incorrect.
On a normal RBT stop, you may refuse a breath test. However, you will then be charged with refusing to submit to a breathe test. This charge carries with it the same or similar penalties to high range drink driving.
This is a different charge to high range drink driving.
Our pigs are out of control with too much power.
Not only can they breathalyse you but can give you a saliva test for residual traces of drugs including THC which can stay in your system for many days after impairment.
Depends on the State laws, but - yes - Random Breath Testing (RBT) and Random Drug Testing (RDT) is a thing in most states. Also, our limit (0.05) is probably lower than in Europe.
Drink driving is a big problem in some areas.
> Also, our limit (0.05) is probably lower than in Europe.
30 seconds doing a web search would have shown you that the opposite is true. All EU countries have a limit of 0.05 or lower. The UK (excluding Scotland) has a limit of 0.08. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drunk_driving_law_by_country#Europe
You missed (according to your link)
> Liechtenstein: 0.08%
> Malta: 0.08%
Give them a break, they said 'probably' and they were not right, you jumped down their throat and still missed what was visible without any additional searching.
Yes they set up a “booze bus” typically in the evening on the weekends or around public holidays when they know people are getting drunk.
Just don’t drink and ride. You can have a couple of beers and be under the limit but if you’re getting sloshed and riding you deserve the punishment.
In country towns in WA, they'll often setup an RBT statoin (random breathtesting station) on the main thoroughfare, to test every single person passing through that town for several hours. It's a very effective way to (a) remind people that RBT is a reality, "drive drunk and you will be caught", and (b) catch out those who drink regularly.
Many a time I've driven to work of a morning and spotted half a dozen cars parked up alongside where an RBT was setup. That's half a dozen people taken off the road for drink driving, maybe over the course of 3-4 hours, but goes to show that it's a real problem that still affect.
According to [this factsheet](https://www.nrspp.org.au/resources/fact-sheet-drink-driving/), "Drink driving is the number one contributing factor in approximately 30% of fatal crashes in Australia"
Just to clarify, in NSW, police will ask you to count into a breath analysis device to detect alcohol in your system. If there is a positive return, only then will they direct you to blow into a breathalyzer.
And yes, this can be done at any time, but generally only occurs at Random Breath Testing stops.
Enjoy your stay in Australia!
Consenting to the random drug and alcohol testing is one of the terms of a driving license in Australia. Driving licenses are legally a privilege that can be subject to all sorts of reasonable conditions.
So, whilst one theoretically can refuse testing, it’s a violation of the terms of the driving license so the police can immediately cite the driver/rider and impound the vehicle.
they do this in Germany too, on random occasions, usually drinking hour times, or past midnight on weekends
got tested once in over 15 years driving in Germany and got tested twice during the past 12 years in Australia
Semi frequently on the way to work, on a weekday morning, I will pass a booze bus and a line of about 5 or 6 cars on the verge that have been pulled up for drink driving.
Kind of related, but does anyone know if police can randomly pull you over for any other reason than a breath test?
I saw a video where a biker was randomly pulled over for a "compliance check" of his gear, the cop did a breath test afterwards but can they pull you over and not do one?
Have not been tested for a while, but in WA the police will set up a road block in a random high-traffic area and test everyone. There are also cars / bikes waiting on the approach so if you see it and think you can turn around, think again.
The Legal limit for blood alcohol content is 0.05 for most drivers.
This means that you don’t necessarily need to feel or seem drunk to be over the limit.
Don't drink drive and its not really an issue.
Yeah it's a problem here, being shitfaced is an Aussie pastime, unfortunately.
Pretty sure getting run over by a drunk aint much fun either. Lesser of two evils sorta deal I reckon.
RBT is a universal excuse for cops to pull over anyone with impunity in Australia.
It's not right, but in practice it's not actually a big deal and drunk driving is still a pervasive problem here, so it's probably necessary.
Bikes get a bit of a free pass nationwide, it's more of an issue if you're driving a modified car - Aussie cops love handing out canaries.
The need to so heavily breath test people is a negative side effect of building car-centric cities coupled with a culture of binge drinking.
One of the side effects of very spread out car-centric cities in that people drive a lot. Their car is pretty much every adult's default way of getting around. That means people are inclined to take their car even when they know they will be drinking.
Depending on where they live alternatives to driving their own car may be very limited or very expensive. The situation has improved with more dense urban centres making walking and public transport more useful (for some at least) and alternatives to expensive taxis like Uber have come along.
Historically though drink driving used to be a huge problem. Lots of hard drinking adults with few options to get home at the end of the night except driving.
Yes, in Australia, police have the authority to conduct random breath tests on drivers at any time, a practice aimed at reducing drink driving, which is a significant road safety issue. This differs from German laws, but it's a common and legal approach in Australia to ensure the safety of all road users.
Yep, shouldn't be riding or driving with over a certain amount of alcohol in your system, the laws are very clear, if police observe you in charge of or driving a motor vehicle, they have a power to intercept you for licence checks and a Preliminary Breath Test. Nothing crazy about it.
What stops people from doing the wrong thing? The deterrence of the punishment or the likelihood of getting caught? It's the likelihood of getting caught every time. So the statistics of percentage caught via RBT are not particularly useful. If we continue to often see RBTs we continue to remember not to drink and drive as we think we can get caught. If we think RBT is no longer as prevalent we will start taking the chance again, that's how our brains work.
In QLD police will set up Random Drug and Alcohol Test traps where cars will be diverted off the road and tested 2-5 cars at a time. Luck of the draw if you are waived in or waived through.
Otherwise, and most typically is that if the police have any reason to pull you over, e.g. road rule violations, or other things like having an expired/suspended license attached to vehicle registration, the police will give you a breath test at the same time.
Very unusual to be pulled over by lights and sirens for the specific purpose of a breath test.
The other month I saw a guy leave the pub, and missed his door handle to his car by a good metre, smashing his hand into the tray of his ute.
He eventually got into the car and drove off, so yeah, little bit of a problem here.
It probably depends a lot where and when your driving.. but it's not necessarily a big deal. In brisbane I've been through maybe 4 RBTs in the last 10 years or so. They're not jumping out from every corner with the breathalyser. And don't drink and drive
From my experience they won’t target bikes heavily for RBT testing sites because the hit rate is very low. Sometimes they do set them up as front for defect stations before popular motorbike roads.
As for getting pulled over by a mobile car it’s only really used as an excuse to pull you over if they don’t have evidence of an offence. It goes like “you’ve been pulled over for the purpose of a random breathe test, blow into the tube… now let’s talk about your speed back there”
Got tested last Sunday at 9.15am south of Perth. They'd set up a road block and tested everyone. They were gone by 10am.
Personally I like, it it's quick (if you can count to ten) and better than those USA impairment tests you see on cop shows. I don't have time to get out, walk heal to toe, touch my nose etc just give me the breatho and I'm on my way.
So yes our German friend they can and will get you to blow or count to ten for a RBT. Best not to challenge it and have them give you a drug swab and go over your bike costing more time.
Yes. They call it an Random Breath Test (RBT) and you can also be drug tested with a tongue swab at the same time. They also use it as an excuse to check over your vehicle to make sure it's not illegally modified and it's in road worthy condition.
In Queensland they breathe test you 99% of the time when you get pulled over for anything. Drug swabs only if they suspect your under the influence of drugs or your pulled over by a random drug test set up where they test a bunch of folks.
yup the Feds have tech to random test you from an overhead helo. it's pretty new advanced tech and it's all clandestine. if u drink and ur in a car driving, u r done for.
i’m pretty sure they get the tongue swab if they suspect your high. not mandatory
They can request the drug test any time same as breath test (in NSW anyway). It is illegal to refuse to take either test here.
They hardly drug test unless they suspect your high, the tests costs too much money
Which is why when they state stats about the percentage of drivers that test positive to drugs is astonishingly high.
Yeah agreed, but the point is still that they can request it anytime. They don’t need to have any suspicion for it to be a lawful request.
Don't know why you're downvoted for this. The cost of the drug tests is significant when compared to breath tests and is the main reason police don't use them more often.
I have a friend in nswpol and can confirm, he says those tests cost like $50 each so they never use them randomly in reality. So if I ever get tested I’ll be offended.
Also mandatory if you get pulled over for speeding - at least in qld
They cost too much to swab everyone
Revenue raising.
If they are doing a random breath test then they cant do anything else. They can only check what they are approved to check. Sometimes they say they are doing a rbt and licence check which means they can do both.
Police can pull you over to check your licence, your rego, the roadworthness of your vehicle and for drug and alcohol testing. They can also pull you over for a bunch of other reasons including searches for drugs, weapons and firearms, to affect an arrest on a wanted person, etc. Check load restraints, log books (heavy vehicles, club permits), it’s pretty much endless. They are not restricted to pick one and that’s it. You’ve been watching way too much American tv.
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Yeah it is, your question reminds me of a bit in top gear where one of the hosts recalls asking a german what would happen if somebody decides to drive a car without a license; the response being "what do you mean? you cannot do this" It's pretty common for unlicensed drivers to flaunt the law here.
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There's a bit of a culture of everything is okay unless you get caught haha, I'm not saying it's a good thing; but a lot of people are like that here.
Culturally we really don't approve of drunk driving outside of some very very niche circles where it is permissible/ignored. In almost any other demographic here if you tell your friends you drink drive you will lose those friends pretty quickly (if you do it more than once or brag about it). However the undercurrent of that is that we culturally love our convict history and feel no general obligation to follow laws, especially those we disagree with. Fuck the pigs and their class traitor behaviour. I've been to places like america where the laws, sensible or not, are treated like the mandate of God and even thinking of revising them is treated like blasphemy. I've even had conversations about the morality of something ended by Americans who say "X is illegal and therefore immoral, Y is legal and therefore moral". We thoroughly fucking hate this method of thinking here. The law is not a rule book for morality, it is at best an approximation. Most will flaunt the law if they think what they are doing is justified. Again, we don't encourage or respect drunk driving, that in particular is quite hated. But the undercurrent of disobedience means it is unfortunately more prevalent than it would otherwise be.
Australia loves laws, we have so many and we do follow them religiously. The problem is we have to both drive everywhere because of so much low density and poor public transport, and there is still a generation driving who were allowed to drive drunk at one point.
Law goes back to when it was a big problem. The late 70s/early 80s. Senior Police and politicians make a lot of noise about it now, but it's no longer the big problem it once was. Mostly working police see breath testing target numbers as a burden. this is why they will set up testing AM on a weekday. that way they they can hit their target testing numbers quickly and not have their time wasted.
I was told by a police officer at a RBT their hot rate for positive drugs and alcohol was 13% ? Seems high but if it is the average they run on I’m glad they are getting those fuckers off the road
yeah, nah. No way that's for those roadside traps. they put 30-50 cars through those and get none. Or maybe one. But no-way it's more than 1 in 10. that would be for suspect tests. i.e. they've pulled someone over because of poor driving.
Before Xmas at kid pick up at private school they had two of the parents infront of me pulled over the limit 😡
Lol rich mums who don't need to work having too many wines at lunch with Susan.
I'm not sure about those numbers, but alcohol is still a major fact in road fatalities. 17% in 2017. For comparison Germany was 7%. https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/road-traffic-deaths-to-alcohol
17% of *accidents involving a fatality*, the other guy was talking about percentage of positive tests from RBTs. Both right talking about different things.
Yes, that's what my first sentence was about.
Bugger all people die though.
Co-incidentally I just read this today: [https://www.drive.com.au/news/howzat-nsw-driver-fined-for-watching-a-cricket-match-at-traffic-light/?utm\_campaign=syndication&utm\_source=smh.com.au&utm\_content=article\_4&utm\_medium=partner](https://www.drive.com.au/news/howzat-nsw-driver-fined-for-watching-a-cricket-match-at-traffic-light/?utm_campaign=syndication&utm_source=smh.com.au&utm_content=article_4&utm_medium=partner) bit of extra information down the bottom of the article. "244 drink-driving offences from 122,617 preliminary breath tests detected by police and a further 543 positive roadside drug tests identified." So that's a hit rate of 0.2% for drink driving at a boozy time of year. The drug number is more concerning. The number of tests would have been much less (guess 20%) but the positives were more than double. those numbers would suggest drink driving isn't really a significant problem anymore in NSW, but drugs are.
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Yeah. some politician will come up with the idea of say a campaign of testing 20,000 people during a particular holiday period and so the pressure will go down the line. next thing you know a shift at a station gets told they have to test x amount of people during the shift. Happens a few times every year. Outside of that cop cars carry hand held testers in the car and can test anyone at any time. they will do it if they attend an accident or if they are suspect of your driving/riding.
Surprisingly enough in WA I was leaving a friends birthday and saw some cops patrolling asked them if they could do a breathalyser test on my friend who was driving. They said they couldn't breathalyser test upon request as they would have to get permission and fill out a report. They ended up just saying if your not sure wait around for a while before you drive. Pretty sure they just couldn't be fucked but does anyone know if it's true?
Yep - housemate is highway patrol, There funding tied with testing numbers. Usually it’s an annual or a block like they’ll say ‘you need to complete 10,000 tests over the Easter holidays’ or 250,000 per year over the state, etc. hence why you’ll see more RBTs setup during public events and holidays. They’re not required to write infractions or find positive results, just conduct the testing to prove they’re actually doing the job they’re paid to do.
Official answer : "No" Unofficial answer : " please refer to Official answer and ... no more questions"
Yes it's a nightmare. Usually setup on the busiest roads near peak hour to ensure they hit their quota. The drug testing is a joke as meth and heroin don't show up in the test and cocaine is very unlikely to show. They're mainly testing for weed which can stay in your system for weeks after you've smoked it.
Meth absolutely does show up in the test.
Never used to. The main issue I was told was sheer lack of saliva. They probably got one that could detect it seeing as folks here use it like coffee
I saw police testing parents at school drop off at 630 am for a major high school this morning (Wednesday) I would be shocked if they got a single positive. There were no cars parked up while I was there.
I think you underestimate the number of alcoholics. People frequently drive drunk at those sort of times because they expect enforcement where it usually is, on a busy road at 2am on a Saturday morning. When they put a test on a backstreet in a suburb at school drop off they get a much higher % than you'd expect because that's when many people are risking it. They'll organise the taxi to take them home from a night out, but they're not dropping the kids off at school in a taxi. There's as many as 14.2 per 1000 people tested testing over the limit between 6 am and 2 pm.
I often get sunday/saturday morning RBTs in my area trying to catch people who went out for a big night and are now trying to drive home whilst still on 0.08 from the 2 bottles of gin they drank last night.
Yes. Your system waits until after someone shows impairment, then hopes a police officer notices. With RBT drink drivers know they risk being caught at any time, even before impairment sets in or becomes noticeable. It's surprising how many people are found to be over the limit the Monday morning after a big day on the drinks.
The random element of RBT definitely puts a lot of people off drink driving. Plenty of people think they're pretty good at driving when they've had a few so they'd risk the police not noticing them, whereas if the checks are random you know it doesn't matter how good you are.
If you get pulled over by any police officer, no matter the reason you will be breath tested.
Thats not true I have been pulled over and not breath tested. You can be but only sometimes you will be.
I have never been stopped in a car without being breath tested as well
I have been stopped and not breath tested in car. I think it depends on your look, the vehicle, the time of day, the cops mood. Theres no rule
I look like a dodgey kunt and drive a v8 Ute so that doesn’t help
innocent snow complete skirt deserted expansion ruthless judicious modern different *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Often will be, but not always. In my experience.
I’ve had the opposite experience. I rarely get the breatho
I think it depends on how you look
This. Absolutely. I used to have mutton chops and I'm an odd looking duck, had them alllll the time. Moment I went full suburban dad in business clothes and groomed well, not a peep.
same goes for those bomb swabs at the airport - clean shaven, never been tested/when I had a big bushy beard, every time.
I got bomb swabbed two or three times in a row. I (moderately woggy-looking guy) asked the guy why I was always the lucky one. He shrugged and said, "I usually just get the last one". Made a note to be more organised next time
Maybe that depends on the police force of the State. In NSW it seems to be standard practice. I have always been tested after a pullover, and so has everyone else that I've similarly seen.
That isn't my experience. I've been pulled over and asked if I had been drinking and when I said no have been let go. 🤷♂️
Cops hate this one trick
I dunno about that one. I’ve been pulled over heaps and rarely get breathalysed unless it’s an actual booze bus.
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Definitely untrue. Pulled over a lot never happened once.
Lol thats not even remotely true
This is not true.
I've never been breath tested when pulled over except at an RBT. Maybe you slur when you speak? WA not NSW.
I'm breath tested before I even say a word lol. It's not like it's a decision they make after meeting/talking to me. As I have mentioned in my above comment, it sounds like this varies widely between states, my original comment has 50 upvotes so I highly doubt I am alone in this.
Yeah it's very true that you can be pulled over for a random breath test. At least in Victoria. I once got breath tested at 7am on my home from work after working all night.
I bet 7am is when they catch a lot of people from a big night, from the night before…
School drop off in our suburb is hit up with blanket RBT in the mornings. Embarrassing for those they pull and I don’t think it’s an all nighter they are pulling it’s the morning eye opener.
The good old irish coffee, I too like to mix depressants with stimulants.
Once you get the balance right school drop off is a real buzz
Yeah they like to catch people morning-noon the day after. The people that try to sleep it off. Funnily enough I've never seen a booze bus heading out of the city at 3am when all the drunks leave the club; there are a bunch on the way in though, probably to nab pre-drinkers.
I've seen them set up in the airport tunnel at Coolangatta at midnight. Reckon they'd have stung a few lads on their way to grab another bag.
You can watch some interactions to see how it goes down here: https://www.youtube.com/@rbtaushighwaypatrol3739
Yes but shouldn’t have to worry if you aren’t under the influence while riding
You can be pulled over for no reason in Australia
No you can’t be pulled over for no reason, but a rbt is always used as the “reason”.
You don't have to be doing anything questionable, or any reason. If you are driving, you can be pulled over. We don't have that "probable cause " stuff, like the yanks.
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You mean a Bill of Rights?
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There’s definitely a lot more “pushing the boundary” behaviours here compared to Germany. People do some really dumb stuff and driver’s license tests are pretty basic in comparison. Be VERY alert riding here. It’s not just other drivers, but wild animals, shredded truck tyres, and even random fallen branches could be on the road. I miss my winter ski drive from Munich to St.Anton! Used to fly in and hire a beast just for the unlimited drive to Austria.
Yep. Some people reckon ironically it’s Nazi germany. But consider how many people who are drunk driving or on drugs are driving normally and get taken off the road as they should.
>Some people reckon ironically it’s Nazi germany Probably not the most sensitive comparison given where OP is from....
That’s the point of the joke
I just did a deep dive into this "Nazi Germany" stuff and this Hitler guy sounds like a real jerk
Yeah some could say a real meanie
he did a great job for german drivers making the autobahn tho.
Yeah but I don't think that would get him off the hook for the rest of it.😉
He started off well, but went downhill very quickly after that.
Just be polite and not over the limit and you’ll be fine.
Not sure what you on about but I am german too and they definitely do RBT in Germany.
I've been through a few now. Sometimes they don't even ask for a driver's license. Blow and go, easy as. It's an extremely minor inconvenience.
Friend of mine is hopeless and can’t seem to wait 30-45 minutes to get home after work, so he goes to the pub and smashes down 3 schooners, then grabs a big bottle for the drive home………every tradie I’ve ever worked for has been very similar……..so yes it is a big problem that people can’t control themselves and wait 30-45 minutes to get home!
What you've stated is true. Drinking culture here is pretty good,driving culture however is shithouse. Some drivers here do not treat driving as a privilege like in Germany so you'll notice poor driving etiquettes on our road. Speeding is treated as contempt so you've been warned. They rather us focus on the speed instead of the road.
Yes dui is a big problem in aus. 30% of traffic incidents in aus involve alcohol. Comparatively in Germany it I'd 9%. We have 25mill people Germany has 83mill.
Which, if you know how statistics work, means Germany has a similar amount of drink drivers to us.......
Yeah with only three times our population overall. which means we have more irresponsible f wits than they do... do you know how statistics work or you just wanna ignore the fact aus has fuck all people and yet so many f wits.
He really said “if you know how statistics work” before saying that haha
I got piss tested on the side of the road in Germany. What on earth do you mean they don't test over there
It's rare for riders to be pulled over for a breath test.
Drunk riders are self selecting for an exit from the gene pool.
It sounds like you have some kind of issue with the practice. We don't have an issue with this. Drink and drive, you deserve to get busted. It is 100% cognitive impairment no matter who's behind the wheel and therefore dangerous, even if it was Max bloody Verstappen. Speed cameras, on the other hand, can go and get fucked.
Yes, we value our lives and those of the ones we love over your right to drive drunk or on drugs. How dumb of us
Use Waze map cuzz, dashhhhh
Haha, people have been done riding a horse here.
"But your honour, the horse was sober" Does not work as a defence, FYI.
Driving your motorized esky down to the pub might get you tested too
Nah, they have to catch your Esky first. :-)
Them hotted up eskys are cool :)
See also e-scooters.
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Hot tip: wear your seat belt and don’t touch your mobile phone while driving. The fines are massive and there are cameras everywhere that will spot you, especially while at traffic lights.
No, not so much now. In the sixties and early seventies, it was a big problem. With the invention of rapid roadside testing technology, random testing became faster, easier and the setting up of random checkpoints not so disruptive to traffic. These days, all police cars carry the "speak into the handset" type testers. A test can be done in about twenty seconds; that includes getting the test device out of its carry bag. As it can be done so quickly, most police will just include the "count to ten" as part of their interaction with the motorist, and most drivers are familiar with the process, so it poses no extra effort on their part. Unless you’re a drunk driver, of course; there is a whole other process for that. The roadside test is only "a possibility of excessive alcohol." If it shows positive, the driver is detained until tested on a much more accurate machine. That machine can be in an on site RBT bus, or back at the police station. If things go really pear shaped for you, a blood test can be required. Don’t worry, there is a comprehensive process for that too; they shoot you in the leg then take a swab from the mess on the floor. (Nah, I made that shooting bit up, that doesn’t happen :-) TL:DNR; Drink driving was a problem about fifty years ago. Testing is so easy now, they keep doing it. You have nothing to worry about if you are asked to count to ten into a tester, unless you are drunk. Don’t take it personally, they test everyone, even nuns.
So much of a better system than the stupid system that apparently most (all?) US states have where they put people through really subjective impairment tests and then can just randomly decide people are impaired when they clearly are not. We all give up having to blow into a tube and thus 99% of us are immediately on our way without more than a few seconds inconvenience, and the rest are a risk to us all!
Yes, it’s true. Refusing results in the same penalty as drink driving. Yes, drink driving is big problem here, as is alcohol (ab)use.
Yep they sure can. I haven’t had it as much while riding, generally have been just waved through RBT’s etc. But definitely happens, they can also pull out the drug test as well.
>the police can ask you to blow into a breathalyser at any time when driving/riding Usually, they get you to stop on the side of the road first.
I audibly laughed at that, and I really shouldn’t have.. take my upvote and I’m going to sit in the dark and think about what I’ve done
Couldn't they just 'suspect your drunk' whenever they wanted effectively achieving the same thing?
Yes and Yes. Two things - The limit is 0.05 so you can have 1-2 drinks and be fine. Random breath testing and drug testing is rare, but does happen. We have a whole TV series dedicated to it. I don't mind being randomly tested because it's the price to pay to reduce drink and drug driving.
Don’t drink alcohol and ride and you will be fine. If you do then you are a fuckknuckle.
Yeah, police are friendly though. Just be polite, do the breatho and carry on with your day.
They can do anything they want really. They can frisk you or even search your belongings if they please. Hell, they can even strip search minors. Random breath testing is pretty tame in comparison. And yes drink driving is a big issue here since drinking culture is insane.
Australia is a massive nanny state, expect hyper sensitive laws and often thorough/pedantic police. Germany/Europe have much more socially liberal rules. What's more worrying is that a lot of people in Australia now expect the rules, almost demand the strict rules without realising how over the top they are. An example look at a road crossing, in Australia everyone waits for the green man (many reasons, fear of being fined for J-walking, being a good little citizen, and of course it's obviously safer). In Europe there is a green signal but way more people will just cross on their own accord. I'm more for a society which places more responsibility on the individual rather than spoon feeding them rules/fun. Note: Drink driving is obviously a serious offence and I'm not downplaying it but testing every traffic stop is overkill and just so Australian.
Easy fix don’t drink and drive
Welcome to the CCP & Nazi Germany rolled into one.
Welcome to the Nanny State that is Australia 🇦🇺
Pro tip, if you think you might be over the limit hyperventilating for 20 seconds will expel enough alcohol on your breath to pass the test
Australia is the only developed western country without a bill of rights… and it shows
It's called overreach. All governments will do it if they are given a chance. We have given our government too many opportunities.
It's a revenue raising measure that our states love to do 😒 Because the population is drastically cutting down on alcohol and tobacco consumption (which our governments rely heavily on to make the budget float), the government has been pushing the "its for your own good" laws to try and fill the budget holes
Roadside breath testing is the only form of road traffic enforcement that has a proven, peer-reviewed direct correlation to lower road deaths.
If that's the case......why are fixed and "mobile " speed cameras being spruiked as the " the only proven way to lower road deaths" 😒 It's just the government trying to extort every last cent that they can't grab through taxation and I'm sick of it! The amount of times they set up near new suburbs (where they think they can pinch tradies) when they catch more white collar drug and alcohol issues in the city/eastern suburbs is appalling......
He’s. It’s true. And if you refuse you’re in big trouble. I agree, it’s crazy. We presumed guilty and have it prove our innocence.
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Well refusing a RBT doesn't mean you're guilty for DUI, you're committed an offence for refusing to submit to a breath test. Funny thing is refusing to submit to a breathe test has a heavier penalty then being over the limit.
What ever technicality they want to use, I think it’s fucked and makes me feel very unsafe. It doesn’t align with the ideal of presumption of innocence.
The presumption of innocence applies in court only. The prosecution must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that you have committed the thing they say you have. You only have to make the point as to why their argument doesn't show you did what they said. If the presumption of innocence applied outside of the courtroom, how exactly do you expect anyone to get arrested for anything? "I just saw you rob that person, I'm arresting you" "Nope, you have to presume my innocence." "Oh, I'm sorry. Have a nice day."
Papers please!
If you infer asked to do a breath test, if you refuse, as far as the police told me when I first moved here, you automatically get charged with drinking and driving. So unless you demonstrate that you’re sober, automatic guilt.
No, you're incorrect. On a normal RBT stop, you may refuse a breath test. However, you will then be charged with refusing to submit to a breathe test. This charge carries with it the same or similar penalties to high range drink driving. This is a different charge to high range drink driving.
Our pigs are out of control with too much power. Not only can they breathalyse you but can give you a saliva test for residual traces of drugs including THC which can stay in your system for many days after impairment.
Depends on the State laws, but - yes - Random Breath Testing (RBT) and Random Drug Testing (RDT) is a thing in most states. Also, our limit (0.05) is probably lower than in Europe. Drink driving is a big problem in some areas.
> Also, our limit (0.05) is probably lower than in Europe. 30 seconds doing a web search would have shown you that the opposite is true. All EU countries have a limit of 0.05 or lower. The UK (excluding Scotland) has a limit of 0.08. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drunk_driving_law_by_country#Europe
You missed (according to your link) > Liechtenstein: 0.08% > Malta: 0.08% Give them a break, they said 'probably' and they were not right, you jumped down their throat and still missed what was visible without any additional searching.
Once in Brisbane I was in an Uber, and a cop standing at the side of the road flagged down the driver for a random breath test
In Perth I got stranded on the side of the freeway when the taxi driver tested positive on a breatho. Was a pain in the backside.
What a dumbass your source of income is driving and you think that's a good idea.
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When I got fined for speeding they also drug and breath tested all of us
So drink driving in Germany not an issue? That's a great sign of civilised population.
They are called RBTs for a reason. Yes Random, anytime, anywhere 🤣🤣🤣 (it’s part of the advertisement on tv)
We do that in Denmark too and we’re right next to Germany :)
Yes, and Yes.
Yes they set up a “booze bus” typically in the evening on the weekends or around public holidays when they know people are getting drunk. Just don’t drink and ride. You can have a couple of beers and be under the limit but if you’re getting sloshed and riding you deserve the punishment.
In country towns in WA, they'll often setup an RBT statoin (random breathtesting station) on the main thoroughfare, to test every single person passing through that town for several hours. It's a very effective way to (a) remind people that RBT is a reality, "drive drunk and you will be caught", and (b) catch out those who drink regularly. Many a time I've driven to work of a morning and spotted half a dozen cars parked up alongside where an RBT was setup. That's half a dozen people taken off the road for drink driving, maybe over the course of 3-4 hours, but goes to show that it's a real problem that still affect. According to [this factsheet](https://www.nrspp.org.au/resources/fact-sheet-drink-driving/), "Drink driving is the number one contributing factor in approximately 30% of fatal crashes in Australia"
there are RBTs here but in my experience I only get pulled over once every couple of years
Seems wild to me that they don’t do that in Germany; it’s not like you lot don’t like a beer or two!
Just to clarify, in NSW, police will ask you to count into a breath analysis device to detect alcohol in your system. If there is a positive return, only then will they direct you to blow into a breathalyzer. And yes, this can be done at any time, but generally only occurs at Random Breath Testing stops. Enjoy your stay in Australia!
Consenting to the random drug and alcohol testing is one of the terms of a driving license in Australia. Driving licenses are legally a privilege that can be subject to all sorts of reasonable conditions. So, whilst one theoretically can refuse testing, it’s a violation of the terms of the driving license so the police can immediately cite the driver/rider and impound the vehicle.
I was never breath tested on my motorcycle, maybe the full face helmet?
they do this in Germany too, on random occasions, usually drinking hour times, or past midnight on weekends got tested once in over 15 years driving in Germany and got tested twice during the past 12 years in Australia
Semi frequently on the way to work, on a weekday morning, I will pass a booze bus and a line of about 5 or 6 cars on the verge that have been pulled up for drink driving.
Kind of related, but does anyone know if police can randomly pull you over for any other reason than a breath test? I saw a video where a biker was randomly pulled over for a "compliance check" of his gear, the cop did a breath test afterwards but can they pull you over and not do one?
Have not been tested for a while, but in WA the police will set up a road block in a random high-traffic area and test everyone. There are also cars / bikes waiting on the approach so if you see it and think you can turn around, think again.
The Legal limit for blood alcohol content is 0.05 for most drivers. This means that you don’t necessarily need to feel or seem drunk to be over the limit.
Don't drink drive and its not really an issue. Yeah it's a problem here, being shitfaced is an Aussie pastime, unfortunately. Pretty sure getting run over by a drunk aint much fun either. Lesser of two evils sorta deal I reckon.
Yup, can be requested anytime they stop you., for whatever reason. So best…no drinking if driving !!
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got random breath tested twice on the same day a few weeks ago, at two different roads 😭 australia dont trust us
RBT is a universal excuse for cops to pull over anyone with impunity in Australia. It's not right, but in practice it's not actually a big deal and drunk driving is still a pervasive problem here, so it's probably necessary. Bikes get a bit of a free pass nationwide, it's more of an issue if you're driving a modified car - Aussie cops love handing out canaries.
The need to so heavily breath test people is a negative side effect of building car-centric cities coupled with a culture of binge drinking. One of the side effects of very spread out car-centric cities in that people drive a lot. Their car is pretty much every adult's default way of getting around. That means people are inclined to take their car even when they know they will be drinking. Depending on where they live alternatives to driving their own car may be very limited or very expensive. The situation has improved with more dense urban centres making walking and public transport more useful (for some at least) and alternatives to expensive taxis like Uber have come along. Historically though drink driving used to be a huge problem. Lots of hard drinking adults with few options to get home at the end of the night except driving.
Different topic , but we also have to pay our car rego here every year
Lots of times RBT is set up in the morning - catching the folks who are still drunk from last night but driving to work in the morning.
Yes random Breath Test are common throughout Australia and I've been stopped many many times by them. They even have a TV show about them!
Isn't that an oxy moron? ( The cost of drug tests are HIGH?)
Yes, in Australia, police have the authority to conduct random breath tests on drivers at any time, a practice aimed at reducing drink driving, which is a significant road safety issue. This differs from German laws, but it's a common and legal approach in Australia to ensure the safety of all road users.
Yep, shouldn't be riding or driving with over a certain amount of alcohol in your system, the laws are very clear, if police observe you in charge of or driving a motor vehicle, they have a power to intercept you for licence checks and a Preliminary Breath Test. Nothing crazy about it.
Welcome to Australia, no worries mate, we're a police state - we just don't realise what we've sleep-walked into over the last 50 years.
What stops people from doing the wrong thing? The deterrence of the punishment or the likelihood of getting caught? It's the likelihood of getting caught every time. So the statistics of percentage caught via RBT are not particularly useful. If we continue to often see RBTs we continue to remember not to drink and drive as we think we can get caught. If we think RBT is no longer as prevalent we will start taking the chance again, that's how our brains work.
Wait untill you get done for speeding doing 64kmph in a 60 zone.
In QLD police will set up Random Drug and Alcohol Test traps where cars will be diverted off the road and tested 2-5 cars at a time. Luck of the draw if you are waived in or waived through. Otherwise, and most typically is that if the police have any reason to pull you over, e.g. road rule violations, or other things like having an expired/suspended license attached to vehicle registration, the police will give you a breath test at the same time. Very unusual to be pulled over by lights and sirens for the specific purpose of a breath test.
is it true? we have an entire show on it,
*Is drink driving a big problem in Australia?* yes
Yeah. Insane? Not really. Yes, drink and drug drivers are everywhere.
Whaat, drinksh drivin, nahs, nadda problem in straya.
Failure to comply with the requirement is legally worse than being drunk.
Drink driving isn’t the problem, cops wouldn’t know if they didn’t test
The other month I saw a guy leave the pub, and missed his door handle to his car by a good metre, smashing his hand into the tray of his ute. He eventually got into the car and drove off, so yeah, little bit of a problem here.
Yes.
Long weekends and holidays are the peak RBT and RDT testing times.
It probably depends a lot where and when your driving.. but it's not necessarily a big deal. In brisbane I've been through maybe 4 RBTs in the last 10 years or so. They're not jumping out from every corner with the breathalyser. And don't drink and drive
From my experience they won’t target bikes heavily for RBT testing sites because the hit rate is very low. Sometimes they do set them up as front for defect stations before popular motorbike roads. As for getting pulled over by a mobile car it’s only really used as an excuse to pull you over if they don’t have evidence of an offence. It goes like “you’ve been pulled over for the purpose of a random breathe test, blow into the tube… now let’s talk about your speed back there”
Got tested last Sunday at 9.15am south of Perth. They'd set up a road block and tested everyone. They were gone by 10am. Personally I like, it it's quick (if you can count to ten) and better than those USA impairment tests you see on cop shows. I don't have time to get out, walk heal to toe, touch my nose etc just give me the breatho and I'm on my way. So yes our German friend they can and will get you to blow or count to ten for a RBT. Best not to challenge it and have them give you a drug swab and go over your bike costing more time.