Britain14 May, 20262 min read
Hampshire And Isle Of Wight Police And Thames Valley Police Trial World-First Laughing Gas Breathalyser
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Two forces—Hampshire and Isle of Wight; Thames Valley—launch world-first nitrous oxide breathalyser trials. Device being trialed to detect nitrous oxide impairment at roadside drug-driving checks.
Laughing gas breathalyser trial
Two police forces in the south of England—Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary and Thames Valley Police—are launching what they describe as the world’s first laughing gas breathalyser to tackle the “emerging threat” of drivers using nitrous oxide, also known as NOS or “hippy crack.” The device, created by Respira Technologies using research from the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam, works by drivers breathing into a portable unit that can detect whether a user has inhaled nitrous oxide for up to two hours beforehand.
“Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary and Thames Valley Police will be the first police forces across the UK and the globe to trial the new technology.”
A police spokesperson said the use of nitrous oxide can cause unconsciousness and even neurological damage or death from suffocation of the oxygen supply to the brain. Acting Superintendent Emma Hart, of the joint operations roads policing unit of Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary and Thames Valley Police, said there is “currently no device available that can prove a driver inhaled laughing gas, making prosecution difficult.”
Deaths and prosecution push
Police and campaigners point to past deaths connected to drivers under the influence of NOS, including a crash in Marcham, Oxfordshire, where three teenagers died after the car they were passengers in crashed into a tree alongside the A415 in 2023. The Belfast Telegraph report says the 18-year-old driver, Thomas Johnson, was filmed inhaling laughing gas behind the wheel just moments before the crash and was driving at speeds of up to 100mph.
RAC head of policy Simon Williams said, “We welcome this important trial and hope it leads to the device being used by all police forces,” adding that “Drug-driving is becoming far too common and so are its consequences.” The trial is also framed as a way to make enforcement possible, with the forces saying the innovative device is being tested “to see if it can be used to detect if a driver is under the influence of this harmful drug.”
Rollout hopes and data
The trial’s legal stakes are tied to nitrous oxide being a Class C drug, with possession for unlawful use potentially leading to a prison sentence of up to two years. GB News reports that the Home Office says Britons can report people using laughing gas and anti-social behaviour by contacting their local neighbourhood policing team, while also citing NHS data that nitrous oxide was the third-most used drug in the 16-59 age group across England and Wales in 2020/2021.
An Office for National Statistics report cited by GB News suggested that around 230,000 young people have inhaled the substance in England and Wales in the year ending June 2022. Both outlets link the breathalyser to potential wider use, with Acting Superintendent Emma Hart saying the forces are leading the testing phase “to break new ground and prove these devices can help save lives on our roads.”