Drug-drivers 'escape detection'

Monday, April 10, 2006

Drug-driving motorists 'pass' roadside checks
'Urgent need' for roadside testing equipment
Young driver deaths may be linked to drugs

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Roadside checks to detect drug-driving motorists are failing, according to the RAC Foundation.

Research carried out by the University of Glasgow showed that a third of drivers with drugs in their system – in some cases heroin – passed Field Impairment Tests.

These tests are the roadside checks that police carry out to determine if a driver is under the influence of drugs. They do not test for a specific substance, but instead involve the driver walking in a straight line or reciting tongue-twisters, and therefore rely on the judgement and experience of individual police officers.

The RAC Foundation said there is an urgent need to introduce roadside drug-testing equipment to detect drug-drivers to make detection and prosecution of offenders more straightforward.

Sue Nicholson of the RAC Foundation said: 'There has been a sharp increase in the number of young drivers killed on our roads, and we suspect drug-driving may play a large part in this.

'The latest research shows that some drug-drivers can escape detection by the Field Impairment Tests. While these tests are the best we currently have, we believe there is an urgent need to improve detection techniques and equipment available to our police.'