NSW has dropped the ball on policing drunk drivers, a motoring group says, after roadside breath tests in the state halved in two years.
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Amid COVID-19 lockdowns, about 2.8 million roadside tests were conducted in NSW in 2021, compared to more than six million in 2019.
Yet, the rate of drink-drivers caught rose from one in every 333 drivers to one in 200.
That was leading to more complacency among drivers and police, NRMA spokesperson Peter Khoury said on Friday.
"We need to crack down on this bad behaviour," he said.
"It's one thing to catch people. The message to drivers is don't become another statistic."
Almost 50 people have died in alcohol-related crashes in NSW in 2022 while more than 300 have been seriously injured.
In all, 267 people have died on NSW roads so far this year - 23 more than the same period last year.
The NRMA said it was seriously concerned a lack of focus on testing was leading to "dangerous levels of risk-taking as people don't think they will get caught".
The motoring body said NSW Police should raise the number of random breath tests (RBT) to 110 per cent of the number of driver licences in the state. That would mean more than 7.7 million tests annually.
"The lack of investment in RBT across NSW is both dangerous and worrying," Mr Khoury said.
"It's one thing to catch people. We want to stop that behaviour to begin with and the best way to do that is to make sure that you've got more RBTs on the road, clearly visible anywhere anytime in local communities."
It is illegal for drivers to have a blood alcohol concentration exceeding 0.05. Learner or provisional drivers are not allowed to have any alcohol in their system.
Traffic and Highway Patrol Command Assistant Commissioner Brett McFadden said random breath testing was one of the many resources and methods utilised by his officers.
"This testing complements our random drug testing (RDT), speed enforcement, driver and vehicle compliance duties to ensure our commitment to the safety of all road users," he said in a statement.
"We remain focused on targeting those selfish drivers who get behind the wheel and make poor decisions; whether that be speeding or driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol."
Australian Associated Press