Boost police and RBTs to save lives

Our members told us that drink driving is their second biggest road safety concern and they overwhelmingly support more police on our roads. And it’s easy to see why. Drink driving crashes impact not just the driver but also passengers, other road users, pedestrians, loved ones – the list goes on. That’s why we’re inviting members to support us in calling for more police and RBTs, so we can make our roads safer for everyone.  

In our latest report, Bust the Boozers, we found that just over 3.8 million RBTs were conducted in NSW 2022 – this is less than half of what is required under the Austroads best practice model. This is a concerning trend which has seen RBT levels down 36 per cent from 2019.   

An average of 52 lives have also been lost annually over the last five years due to road crashes involving alcohol. This is 17% of all fatalities on NSW roads. As of 31 August 2023, preliminary data shows that 35 lives have been lost so far due to alcohol-related crashes. 

What we're asking 

• At least 1.1 random breath tests per year, per licence on issue to be conducted.
• Adequate planning and resourcing to ensure a long-term goal of at least 1.5 random breath tests per year per licence on issue is achievable.
• Appropriate funding and resourcing allocated to Police in order to achieve at least 1.1 random breath tests annually. 

Petitioning the government

Over the 2023-2024 Christmas period, the NRMA submitted an e-petition to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly. With your help, we received over 25,000 signatures.

As a result, the NSW Legislative Assembly debated our petition on March 14, 2024 – presented by Mr Philip Donato MP, Member for Orange who is also a former Police officer and Police prosecutor.

On introducing the ePetition, Mr Donato said, “It is an honour to speak on behalf of the 25,083 people who signed this petition, bringing a critical issue to the attention of the House. The number of people who have lost their lives on New South Wales roads has increased considerably, and drink driving continues to be a major factor in road crashes and deaths.

Other sitting Members of Parliament who spoke in support of our ePetition included Mr Edmond Atalla MP, Member for Mount Druitt; Mr Paul O’Toole MP, Member for Bathurst; Ms Liza Butler MP, Member for South Coast; Mr Michael Regan MP, Member for Wakehurst; and Ms Yasmin Catley MP, Member for Swansea and Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism and Minister for the Hunter.

We are aware that additional Members of Parliament representing the Government, Opposition and crossbench wanted to further contribute, however the 30-minute allocation was exhausted.

We will now work with MPs, the NSW Centre for Road Safety and NSW Police to keep the pressure on to increase RBT rates to at least 1.1 tests per driver, per year as best practice. We will continue to prosecute the case and will provide updates in due course.

Leaders in RBT and road safety 

The NRMA has led the charge in tackling drink driving. The organisation launched the first ever drink driving education campaign in the 1980s, setting the standard for future campaigns. 

Continued investment in enforcement, road infrastructure, vehicle technology and public education campaigns are needed to improve the safety of all road users. 

Over the last few years, the NRMA has prepared a series of reports with the aim of identifying the main factors involved in road crashes and initiatives that may help to reduce the risk of loss of life and injuries.

Bust the Boozers is the latest in this series of reports. You can also read our previous reports in full: Boost the Bus: RBT every driver and Still Smashed?.