In 1999, the SWOV Institute for Road Safety Research and the Transport Research Centre (AVV) carried out a study in order to establish the level of alcohol consumption of motorists in the Netherlands. Within the framework of this research, 78 police control teams conducted roadside surveys. This took place mainly from September until December 1999, between Friday 10 p.m. and Saturday 4 a.m. and between Saturday 10 p.m. and Sunday 4 a.m. This was done in all twelve provinces of the Netherlands. In the roadside surveys, motorists were stopped at random and subjected to a breath test. The 1999 sample contained 29,000 motorists. The study represents a continuation of the nationwide studies into drink-driving habits which were carried out between 1970 and 1998. In order to gain an impression of the development in police enforcement on drink-driving (by random breath testing) in the Netherlands, SWOV and AVV interviewed the police co-ordinators of the roadside surveys. In 1999, 53% reported that the enforcement level increased, while 26% reported a decrease; the remaining 21% mentioned no or very little change.
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