Police start testing drivers for drugs
BY ARTHUR LEATHLEY, TRANSPORT CORRESPONDENT
ROADSIDE tests to discover how many motorists are driving under the influence of drugs are to be tried out by police. Almost one in three drivers killed is under the influence of alcohol and one in five has traces of drugs in the bloodstream.
Results from the first year of a three-year study are expected to show that driving while under the influence of drugs is six times more common than a decade ago, either through illicit drug-taking or the increased use of prescribed drugs.
Several police forces will be allowed to carry out roadside drug tests to help to discover the scale of the problem. Previously released figures have been based on tests carried out on drivers killed in road accidents, which may exaggerate the number.
Further extensive research is to be announced today by Baroness Hayman, the Road Safety Minister, who is also anxious to improve information about the problem, especially among young people. Road safety groups and motoring organisations are alarmed that drivers in their twenties would never consider drinking and driving but are prepared to sit behind the wheel after taking Ecstasy tablets.
The move will make Britain a world leader in carrying out widespread drug-testing. Only small trials have been carried out in other countries, including Germany.
However, ministers are wary of taking tougher action against drivers shown to have traces of drugs in their system, because many substances remain in the bloodstream for days - sometimes weeks - after they cease to impair judgment.
They believe that present laws governing whether motorists are fit to drive are adequate.