An ambitious goal
But does the Walloon government really intend to put everything in place to achieve this ambitious objective? In view of a response from Minister François Desquesnes (Les Engagés) to a written question from MP Laurent Devin (PS), one could almost doubt it. Indeed, the MP questioned the minister about the use of (mobile) breathalyzer terminals in the festive events which are organized at the end of the year. The member asked the minister what were “possible obstacles – logistical, financial or others – which could limit an extension of this measure on a regional scale, and what solutions could be studied to overcome them?”
The politics of cronies in Wallonia, it's over, they said
The minister first explained that the Walloon Road Safety Agency (AWSR) had 30 breathalyzer terminals. “These are made available free of charge to Walloon festive establishments open to the public, such as bars and nightclubs, for a period of 5 days to 2 months. The terminals are also accessible to local authorities, businesses or associations wishing to raise awareness among citizens to the risks associated with drunk driving during festive events. A downside however, it is necessary that these events be held indoors. “In fact, the terminals are intended only for indoor use, the marquees being considered as outdoor places.. So no more idea of using them during open-air Christmas markets or large-scale popular or folkloric festivals which are sometimes, let's face it, open-air drinking parties.
70% of positive users adapt their behavior
The minister seems satisfied with the results generated by the installation of these terminals. Indeed, even if he recognizes that we cannot measure the impact of these terminals in the long term and on road safety, he still recalls that during a pilot experiment carried out in 2022 and 2023, the results were rather encouraging. “Over a period of approximately 12 months, more than 25,000 people were able to measure their blood alcohol levels via these terminals. Regardless of the type of establishment, on average, one test in two was positive. To encourage alcoholic users to make the right choice between drinking and driving, the terminal provides information not only on the user's alcohol level compared to the legal limit, but also on the time it takes to eliminate alcohol, the risks and sanctions incurred when driving, and finally, the existing local alternatives for returning safely. This information proved convincing, since 70% of positive users declared having stopped or reduced their alcohol consumption and/or changed the organization of their return journey after using the terminal..
The disgusted leave the Walloon Parliament, due to the fault of a few disgusting people
However, François Desquesnes does not intend to increase the number of terminals available.taking into account the needs currently identified and the constraints linked to this equipment. Generalization on a larger scale is therefore not envisaged at this stage..
