Melbourne to test breathalyser-activated boom gates at car parks

Drivers will need to pass a breathalyser test before they can exit car parks at shopping centres under a proposed anti-drink driving campaign by the Australian state of Victoria. Known as an alco-gate, the new technology aims to reduce the number of fatal accidents on the state’s roadways. It was first tested in Sweden. If the breathalyser test shows that a driver’s blood alcohol level is above the .05 limit, the boom gate will lock, preventing the driver from leaving the car park.

The state plans to install the alco-gate at a 500-space car park in Melbourne in March 2019. If the test is successful, the state plans to install the device at several more locations. The installation of alco-gates is one component of the state government’s Towards Zero Road Safety and Action Plan, which will allocate AU$1.1bn (£610m) to reduce the state’s annual road death toll to below 200 by 2020.

Samantha Buckis, the Transport Accident Commission’s safety technical manager, expressed confidence that alco-gates and other new technologies could reduce injuries and fatalities caused by drink-driving. “Drink driving remains one of the biggest killers on our roads and this trial is about looking at technology that could prevent people from paying for their mistakes with their lives,” she said.

Ms Buckis also said that alco-gates were only one-way technology could reduce the incidence of drink-driving. The state’s plan includes trials of several other technologies, including passive alcohol sensors, automated vehicles, and connected vehicles.