The application of alcohol interlocks is a fairly recent road safety measure. Equipped vehicles cannot be put into operation by a driver under the influence of alcohol. The two main areas of operation are: (1) Prevention, with an international focus on quality management for school busses as well as transport businesses in general. Additionally, operating heavy equipment has recently become a growing field of application. (2) Recidivist drivers, i.e. the recovery of driving licenses of repeat alcohol offenders before the usual legal time frame. Particularly in the United States and Canada, where such appliances have been used since the 1980s, alcohol interlocks have long been legally implemented. Sweden is the forerunner for alcohol interlocks. Already in the year 1999 a field test was started and vehicles in public traffic were equipped with such devices. Although the use is only legally binding for school busses, a large number of Swedish transport companies today use alcohol interlocks voluntarily. The study at hand “Alcohol-Interlock for Professional Drivers” examined whether and to which extent alcohol interlocks could be applied in Austria. Hereby, the appliances were used as a tool for prevention, i.e. for quality management. Especially the legal as well as technical aspects were examined. An international research of the status quo was carried out previous to the field test, and identified recent technical developments. Today, it is not only possible to determine technical manipulations on the devices themselves, but also to uncover attempts to tamper the test, e.g. by balloons (trying to elude the breath control). Moreover, well-engineered applications also provide a connection to fleet management systems of individual businesses via satellite. In Sweden, in the year 2007 about 20.5 % of all busses used in public transport were equipped with alcohol interlocks. Furthermore, calls and biddings of public bodies required alcohol interlocks as quality assurance tools. The examination of general, technical as well as legal framework requirements in Europe showed the following results: Standardization of alcohol interlocks in Europe is defined by EN 50436. Thus, devices must be able to identify blows which are not given by persons but other tools (e.g. balloons) and other means of circumventing blows. Furthermore, manipulation attempts are being registered. Not only Sweden but also France, Finland, Belgium as well as the Netherlands have enacted laws for implementing alcohol interlocks. In the course of the project at hand, 23 carrier operators agreed to equip at least one heavy goods vehicle with an alcohol interlock for several months (31 vehicles in total). In addition, interviews with drivers and participating companies as well as a general survey with transport businesses were conducted during the pilot. Generally, both drivers and companies supported the use of alcohol interlocks. 13 of the drivers were interviewed about installation and handling. The majority of respondents were able to handle the appliances perfectly well. After an initial time of adjustment (usually a few days), difficulties reduced to almost zero. Drivers did not report problems due to residual alcohol. Twelve of the participating companies agreed to share their experiences of the pilot. Increasing road safety was the main reason for taking part in the pilot study. According to their opinion especially bus and taxi companies should equip their vehicles with alcohol interlocks. No problems occurred in the course of the test run. The handling of the devices was uncomplicated and only a small amount of samples (0.54 %) showed an alcohol concentration above the legal limit. These results verify that drivers largely complied with the legal alcohol legislation. On the other hand, 6.35 % of the initial tests were circumvented, and no reasons were given. Another survey investigated the perspectives of transport sector businesses within the WKO (Austrian Chamber of Commerce) concerning alcohol interlocks. 48 companies were willing to provide information. However, no bus companies commented on this matter. The respondents reckoned that the use of alcohol interlocks will increase road safety. Many respondents (48 %) assumed that only the introduction of such devices on a voluntary basis would be reasonable. Again, they suggested that first and foremost taxi drivers but also public persons (e.g. politicians) should be included in such a process. In Europe, a trend towards the introduction of alcohol interlocks on a voluntary basis can be identified. In extremely sensitive areas, such as school transportation, some countries (France and Finland) have enacted specific laws. It is suggested that Austrian public bodies discuss the inclusion of alcohol interlocks as standards for bidding and tendering procedures. The mandatory use of alcohol interlocks for school busses and transports of dangerous goods should be considered as a medium term measure. The notification of the use of alcohol interlocks, as required by the data protection regulations, should be standardised in order to provide simplified access for Austrian transport businesses. (Author/publisher)
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