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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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UK: One in 20 drive after taking illegal drugs
Sophie Goodchild The Independent
Sunday 11 Jan 2004 As many as one in 20 motorists drives while under the influence of illegal drugs such as cocaine and ecstasy, according to new research. Brake, a road safety charity which conducted the survey for Green Flag Motoring Assistance, said the real figure was probably much higher. It emerged, too, that many drivers were deliberately combining alcohol with drugs in order to mislead police. Brake is calling on ministers to give police power to conduct random drug-driving testsoutside pubs and clubs. Road safety campaigners are alarmed by the increase in deaths caused by motorists whose judgement is impaired by drugs. Last week an uninsured driver was jailed for three-and-a-half years after killing two women while high on drugs and alcohol. The car driven by Lee Bennett, 26, hit 47-year-old Shirley Perrin's vehicle. Her daughter Claire, 22, was a passenger Meanwhile, the Home Office is drawing up plans to introduce psychometric tests to spot motorists who drive while on drugs. They are being devised by experts in the human psychopharmacology research unit at Surrey University. The drug-driving tests will remove the need for officers to wait for a police surgeon to conduct an examination. Instead, drivers will be asked to track an object across an electronic screen. Tests show that cannabis users are slow to complete the task, while cocaine users produce erratic readings. Dr Julia Boyle, who devised the tests, said drivers were deliberately combining alcohol with drugs in order to mislead police. "Drug-driving is on the increase and the worrying thing is that people are using alcohol to mask drug-taking," she said. "By drinking a small amount, these drivers register below the limit, which diverts police officers away from the fact that they've taken drugs." Mary Williams, chief executive of Brake, said more action must be taken against the "anti-social minority" who take drugs and then drive. "It is deeply disturbing to find that some drivers are prepared to ignore the message that driving while impaired can be fatal," she said. "Getting behind the wheel while under the influence of illegal drugs shows a woeful disregard for human life." Brake's research is based on responses from 1,000 drivers, 3 per cent of whom revealed they had taken illegal drugs and driven. However, the charity says the real figure is much higher - some 2 per cent of those polled refused to say if they had driven under the influence of drugs. Additional reporting by Luminita Holban
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