A NATIONWIDE campaign has won the support of The Campaign Against Drinking and Driving (CADD). Grendonstar Distribution Ltd has launched a new personal breathalyser for 'morning after' use.

Tony Dring, chairman of CADD told Wirral MotorWay: "Drivers who have had a drink the night before and who would not have driven for that reason could unintentionally find themselves driving, whilst still under the influence of alcohol, the following morning. This new Breathalyzer is designed for morning after use by responsible drivers who do not want to drink and drive and, as such, it has our full support."

According to recent Department of Transport statistics, 50 people were killed and 1,100 were injured in alcohol related accidents in the North West in 1995.

Tony Wallbrook Marketing Director at Grendonstar, comments: "By providing an accurate, reliable and instant indication of blood alcohol levels, the Breathalyzer allows the driver to make an informed decision about his or her fitness to drive. We hope that it will provide an ideal solution for responsible drivers and help to reduce the number of drink driving accidents on our roads.

"The responsibility for driving has to rest with the driver. The more we can educate people about the problems of drinking and driving and the more we can empower them to find out if they are fit to drive, the better it will be for everyone."

This is the first time that CADD has lent such support to a personal breath test device. The decision was not taken lightly but was the result of extensive research into both the need for and the suitability of the product.

Comprising a breath test tube and a one-litre measuring bag, the pocket-sized unit is calibrated to the same levels as police units, i.e. 80mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood (0.8 per cent). The tube contains reagent crystals which turn green once alcohol is detected. If the crystals turn green beyond the indicator line on the tube, the blood alcohol content is above the unit's calibrated limit.

The Breathalyzer is available from Superdrug, and more garage forecourts at £2.99 RRP.

DID YOU KNOW?

IT takes one hour for a healthy liver to break down and remove one unit of alcohol, i.e. half a pint of beer or lager, single measure of spirits or a small glass of wine. Lunchtime drinkers of two pints will have alcohol in their system three hours later. People who have had several drinks the night before could still have alcohol in their system the following morning. Government guidelines advise that 48 hours should be allowed from intoxication to allow body tissue to recover.

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