700 guilty of driving while drunk between 2009-2016

700 GUILTY OF DRIVING WHILE DRUNK BETWEEN 2009-2016

1,149 drivers tested positive in test

Just over 700 motorists were found guilty of driving under the influence of alcohol after more than 1,000 tested positive in breathalyser tests between 2009 and 2016, official data shows.

According to figures supplied by the police, 702 people were found guilty after being arraigned for driving under the influence of alcohol in the period under review.

During the same period, 1,149 drivers had tested positive when taking a breathalyser test and were subsequently charged in court. Another 349 drivers were found not guilty of the charges brought against them and 99 cases are still pending.

The figures were supplied to the newspaper during a conference on drink-driving organised by the Malta Insurance Association.

Madam Justice Consuelo Scerri Herrera told the conference there seemed to be a misconception on the interpretation of the term “reasonable suspicion” that allowed police officers to carry out tests on those they believed to be driving under the influence of alcohol.

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As reported on the Times of Malta on Saturday, April 13, 2019, 06:41 by Ms Claire Caruana.