Australian police give vouchers to drivers with zero alcohol tests — ABC News Australia
Police in the town of Manjimup in Western Australia are giving drivers vouchers worth 20 Australian dollars if a breath alcohol test returns a zero result. Throughout September, officers plan to hand out 100 such vouchers during traffic stops.
The initiative is intended to encourage safe driving during the football finals period and the approaching school holidays, when roads become busier. Local police unit chief Sergeant Tyler Winter said vouchers can be received by drivers who do not break the law and pass the test with a zero alcohol reading.
Positive encouragement for drivers
According to Winter, the approach was proposed by the local road safety committee. Committee members expect that positive interaction with police and encouragement of responsible behaviour will help convey this message to drivers.
As ABC News Australia reports, the total value of the vouchers is 2,000 Australian dollars. They were funded by Holyoake, a drug and alcohol support service that is part of the local road safety committee.
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Assessing the programme's results
Holyoake team leader Jo Woodruff said the organisation will ask police to collect data to assess the programme's effectiveness. The current campaign is intended to serve as a baseline stage for a possible repeat of the initiative in coming years.
Australian Catholic University criminologist Matthew Morgan called the idea unusual, but expressed doubt that it would significantly reduce the number of drink-driving cases. In his view, the vouchers may instead improve relations between police and the community. At the same time, he noted that research shows drivers respond positively to immediate feedback, including on electronic roadside signs displaying compliance with speed limits.
A Western Australia Police spokesperson said local Blow Zero initiatives also operate in other parts of the state. A similar voucher programme was previously trialled by police in the town of Moora, but such projects are not statewide enforcement programmes and usually do not have formal performance indicators or statewide statistical reporting.
