Drug drivers 'need roadside testing'

Calls have been made for the testing of drivers for drugs by the roadside to enhance safety on the country's streets.

Road safety charity Brake has revealed that conviction rates for drug driving are "shockingly low" when compared with drink driver detection.

In 2008, 70,918 convictions were passed for motorists who risked more than a car or van insurance claim through driving when drunk, compared with 1,593 convictions for people found to have taken drugs before getting behind the wheel.

As a result of the findings, Brake is calling upon the government to give police the authority to test motorists for drugs at the roadside.

Commenting on the forthcoming review The North Report on Drink and Drug Driving next month, Brake chief executive Mary Williams said the charity hopes the publication will recommend that drug driving legislation and enforcement is overhauled.

"Then it will be for the government to act swiftly to remedy the legal loophole which allows drug drivers to continue to put all our lives at risk without fear of justice," she commented.

Motorists who do drive after taking drugs could see their car insurance premiums rise as a result of being convicted of the crime.

The Department for Transport's Think! road safety campaign claims that drugs have an involuntary effect on the eyes that police can spot. If officers suspect a motorist may have taken drugs they can ask them to complete a field impairment assessment.

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