Preliminary Breath Tests conducted in Northern Ireland, 2010 – 2019, (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency & PSNI)

Between 2018 and 2019, the number of PBTs carried out by the PSNI increased by 10%, from 35,994 to 39,489, with the majority of increase in December 2019. The proportion of ‘positive’ or ‘failed to provide’ PBTs has remained fairly consistent since 2010, ranging from 9% to 12%.  The highest proportion of ‘positive’ or ‘failed to provide’ PBTs was recorded on a Sunday.  The highest proportion of ‘positive’ or ‘failed to provide’ PBTs was recorded between 3:00am and 6:00am.  The most recent data available for England and Wales relates to 2018 and shows that there were 6 PBTs per 1,000 population and 12 PBTs per 1,000 population respectively. The corresponding figure for Northern Ireland for 2018 was 19 PBTs per 1,000 population.

Read more: https://www.psni.police.uk/globalassets/inside-the-psni/our-statistics/motoring-offences-statistics/2019/preliminary-breath-tests-ni-2019.pdf