Breath and blood samples from drink-drivers

There are limitations on taking breath and blood samples in the NT. Unless hospitalised, breath or blood tests must take place within two hours of an incident. This is complicated by the remoteness of many Territory towns and the NT Police’s priority of ensuring people involved in crashes receive medical treatment if needed.

What should change

• Increasing the time limit for taking breath or blood tests from two to four hours and authorising a wider group of medical professionals (registered nurses or qualified people) to take blood samples in places other than hospitals, will help overcome issues with timeliness of testing in remote areas

More information: Page 5, Key Findings

Download the full NT Road Safety Report - Key Findings

Download the full report of the NT Road Safety Taskforce