Of this total, 87,100 were positive or were refused, 3.5 percent fewer than in 1991. Sixteen percent of tests were positive or refused, the same proportion as the previous year. The number of positive or refused tests fell substantially over the preceding 10 years, from 43 percent in 1982. More screening tests usually occurred during the fourth quarter (October-December), although the number of tests clearly depended on the population size covered by each police force. In 1992, a Home Office working group recommended that breath test statistics be collected by a new aggregate return instead of using an existing system based on individual test returns. By the end of 1992, most police forces had started providing information on breath tests as a monthly summary of the number of screening tests and the number of positive or refused tests. 7 notes, 5 tables, and 2 figures