UK to clamp down on prescription drug driving

The UK government plans to announce new laws next month that will mean people who drive a vehicle while impaired by prescription drugs can be prosecuted. The new laws are also aimed at 'legal high' drugs, over-the-counter remedies, and will also target a series of loopholes relating to drug driving. According to estimates for the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) drugs are a primary factor in almost 25 per cent of fatal road accidents, while one in ten young drivers admitted to driving while impaired by
April 12, 2012 Read time: 1 min
The UK government plans to announce new laws next month that will mean people who drive a vehicle while impaired by prescription drugs can be prosecuted. The new laws are also aimed at 'legal high' drugs, over-the-counter remedies, and will also target a series of loopholes relating to drug driving.

According to estimates for the Transport Research Laboratory (491 TRL) drugs are a primary factor in almost 25 per cent of fatal road accidents, while one in ten young drivers admitted to driving while impaired by illegal drugs in a 2009 government-sponsored study.

Enforcement

For more information on companies in this article

TRL

Related Content

  • Greater London tops the Aviva safe driver table
    November 22, 2013
    It may have one the heaviest traffic volumes in the UK but Greater London tops the safe driving table according to analysis from insurance provider Aviva’s Drive App, which uses smartphone technology to record a motorist’s driving style, covering their acceleration, braking and cornering. Data from over 3.5 million miles driven by users of the app reveals the areas with the safest drivers. Greater London, including areas such as Islington, Chelsea and Croydon takes the top spot in Aviva’s table - which i
    Read More
  • Oregon trials road user charging
    February 11, 2013
    In Oregon, gas-tax money funds about 58 per cent of the budget used to take care of the state’s roads. As vehicles become more fuel efficient, the gas tax, which is 30 cents a gallon in Oregon and 37 cents in Washington, will generate less and less money. “If we’re using gasoline and diesel sales to fund our transportation system, we’re going to be in big trouble,” said Patrick Cooney of the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT). Recognizing the problem early, Oregon started studying alternatives to th
    Read More
  • Google’s self-driving cars can ‘exceed the speed limit to aid safety’
    August 20, 2014
    According to Google's lead software engineer, Dmitri Dolgov, the company’s self-driving cars are programmed to stay within the speed limit, mostly. Research shows that sticking to the speed limit when other cars are going much faster actually can be dangerous, Dolgov says, so its autonomous car can go up to 10 mph (16 kph) above the speed limit when traffic conditions warrant. Dolgov told Reuters during a test drive that when surrounding vehicles were breaking the speed limit, going more slowly could act
    Read More
  • South Australian Transport Minister gets to grips with UK driverless initiatives
    August 19, 2016
    South Australian Transport and Infrastructure Minister, Stephen Mullighan MP, has shown his support for the UK’s driverless initiatives during a visit to the Transport Research Laboratory’s (TRL’s) UK Smart Mobility Living Lab @ Greenwich. The visit was arranged to enable the South Australian Minister to learn more about UK innovations in connected and automated vehicles (CAVs). The Minister was given presentations on several UK CAV projects, including GATEway, MOVE_UK and Atlas, followed by a live demon
    Read More

Highlighted Content