S'pore Traffic Police trials new breathalyser that prints results on the spot & that's valid in court

A new portable breathalyser being trialled by the Traffic Police in Singapore is able to print out test results on the spot that can be used against drink-driving motorists in court.

It removes the need for motorists suspected of drink driving to undergo a second test at the police station.

The portable device, called the Handheld Breath Evidential Analyser (HBEA), was tested during an anti-drink-driving operation in Chinatown on Sep. 20, The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao reported.

Two motorists — a 43-year-old man and a 48-year-old woman — were reportedly arrested on the spot after failing the breathalyser test.

How it works

Currently, motorists who are suspected of drink-driving will be administered preliminary tests with a handheld breathalyser (HBA).

By law, motorists must not exceed the prescribed limit of 35 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath.

The HBA can only indicate whether a motorist exceeds or is under the legal limit, but cannot display the specific alcohol concentration, Zaobao reported.

Those who fail the test would be arrested and sent for a second test with a breath evidential analyser machine at the police station.

On the other hand, the HBEA, a device roughly the size of the HBA, is able to instantly record and print out the alcohol concentration in a motorist’s breath.

It requires motorists to blow into the device via a plastic straw, and prints out the results within minutes.

The results are reliable enough to be used evidence in court, the traffic police said, as reported by ST.

It also allows officers to record more accurate measurements before alcohol levels in a motorist's breath diminish.

The new HBEA has reportedly been deployed in operational trials since Sep. 5.

Two arrested in two hours with new breathalyser

During the trial on Sep. 20, police screened motorists at a roadblock next to Chinatown MRT station after midnight.

Motorists suspected of drink driving were directed to undergo the HBA test, and those who failed were administered the HBEA test.

Two motorists were arrested in less than two hours after they failed the HBEA test, Zaobao reported.

They were a 43-year-old man driving a sports utility vehicle and a 48-year-old woman who was driving a sedan with a passenger, ST reported.

The errant motorists had the results explained to them before they were handcuffed and taken into custody.

Drink driving arrests went up in first half of 2025

According to police statistics, the number of persons arrested for drink-driving increased by 5.4 per cent to 862 in the first half of 2025.

The offence of driving while under the influence of alcohol carries a fine ranging from S$2,000 to S$10,000, or a jail term of up to 12 months, or both.

For repeat offenders, the offence carries a fine ranging from S$5,000 to S$20,000, and a jail term of up to two years.

Offenders may also face disqualification from driving all classes of vehicles.

Top image from Lianhe Zaobao