25 Nov 2021

Alcohol interlocks stopped nearly 40,000 drunk driving attempts in 2020 - AA

From Morning Report, 7:56 am on 25 November 2021

Thousands of attempts by high-risk drunk drivers to get behind the steering wheel have been stopped thanks to a palm-sized device.

The Automobile Association said alcohol interlocks in the cars of high-risk drunk drivers stopped 37,061 attempts to use the vehicle in 2020.

The device has been mandatory for many high-risk drivers since 2018. But New Zealand is still falling well short of the number of interlocks needed on the roads.

AA spokesperson Dylan Thomsen spoke to Corin Dann.