|
|
News
& Topical Articles
|
All contents copyright
©, Drive and Stay Alive, Inc., 2003 onwards, unless specified otherwise. All rights reserved.
IMPORTANT:
click
here to read the DISCLAIMER
|
|
From today, new powers can be used by the police to tackle drug driving. Drivers will be compelled to undertake roadside impairment tests if suspected of drug driving. This move has been welcomed by the RAC Foundation as over half the drivers killed in road accidents in one police force area had illegal drugs in their systems, and young drivers are twice as likely to have been driven by someone high on illicit drugs rather than over the drink drive limit.
Durham Police took blood screenings from all of the 23 people killed in road accidents two years ago. The samples revealed that 50% had traces either of cannabis, cocaine, ecstasy or another prescription drug.
Previous research from the Department for Transport in 1989 showed that only three per cent of a random sample of road traffic accident fatalities was known to have been driving with drugs in their systems. The latest figure from a three-year DETR study is 18% - a six-fold increase. But the RAC Foundation now believes that drug driving could have become more prevalent than drink driving.
The results of the Durham Police survey led the Foundation to call on the Government to launch a high profile publicity campaign to warn people of the dangers of drug driving. The London Drug Policy Forum and the City of London Drug Action Team launched such a campaign two weeks ago with support from the RAC Foundation.
A new Code of Practice means that drivers will be compelled to undertake roadside impairment tests if the police suspect they are driving under the influence of drugs.
Edmund King, executive director of the RAC Foundation, said:
"For too long the real problem of drugs and driving has been a taboo subject. We are delighted that the situation is to be clarified and that the police will have new powers to tackle drug drivers. The RAC Foundation has been raising the problem of drug driving for ten years.
"The Durham results were shocking. They would suggest that even more motorists are getting behind the wheel when high on drugs than anyone previously expected.
"Prior research had suggested that as many as 20% of road deaths involve drugs, but these findings imply that the problem is becoming a more prevalent one than drink driving.
"Many motorists are surprisingly ignorant of the dangers posed by drug driving. We would also like to see a high profile information campaign to support these new powers. We also welcome the fact that more police officers will be trained to spot drug drivers."
Previous RAC Foundation research has uncovered:
* At least 1.5 million people in the UK regularly smoke cannabis. A substantial number choose to drive after taking it despite research showing that the drug severely impairs driver judgement.
* Almost 20% of road accident fatalities have traces of drugs in their systems.
* Young drivers are twice as likely to have been driven by someone high on drugs rather than over the drink limit.
* More than 90% of motorists are in favour of the police having the powers to carry out roadside testing for drugs and 93% would support a Government funded education campaign.
* Recreational Drugs and Driving, a study produced for the Scottish Executive, revealed that cannabis was the most commonly used substance among young drug takers - most of whom believed that it had little or no effect on their driving.
* More than three quarters of a million car passengers claim to have been driven by someone high on illegal drugs.
* 85% of 22-25 year olds believe that members of their peer group regularly drive after taking drugs.
* More than a quarter of the 1000 respondents to a recent survey by MaxPower magazine admitted that they take illicit drugs and drive every week. 36% drug drive once a month and only 6% thought that their driving suffered as a result. 18% actually felt that drugs improved their driving. The most common drug taken before getting behind the wheel was cannabis.
* Typical comments from drivers responding to the survey included, "After a smoke you are more relaxed and your reactions are quicker." Others commented that it made driving less daunting.
Source:
RAC Foundation for Motoring
[Related
article: Tougher
Measures to Target Drug Drivers in Britain]
|