Skip to main content

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.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Technology, social media bigger perceived threats than drink-driving, IAM finds
    November 6, 2015
    Motorists are now more worried about the dangers of distraction posed by technology and social media than drink-driving, according to the Institute of Advanced Motorist’s (IAM) first major survey into safety culture. The Safety Culture Index report was launched today by the IAM, and is a study of more than 2,000 UK motorists’ attitudes to driving safety and behaviour on our roads. IAM claims it will form a definitive baseline to track changes over time, providing the opportunity to examine how attitudes
  • Section speed enforcements gains global converts
    October 26, 2017
    As the benefits of section speed enforcement are becoming clearer, the technology is gaining converts worldwide. Colin Sowman reports. America’s National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is calling for urgent action from both road authorities and the federal government to combat speeding which has been identified as one of the most common factors in motor vehicle crashes in the United States. This new call follows the publication of a safety study which found that between 2005 through 2014, 31% of all
  • IAM responds to illegal phone use study
    February 26, 2015
    The UK’s Institute of Advanced Motorists has responded to the Department for Transport study carried out by the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) into the prevalence of illegal mobile phone use while driving, saying that the results are disappointing but not at all surprising. The figures show that, in 2014, 1.1 per cent of drivers in England and Scotland were observed holding a phone in their hand with a further 0.5 per cent observed holding the phone to their ear, equating to more than 470,000 motorists
  • TRL and GOBOTiX team up on vehicle research
    May 28, 2014
    The UK’s Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) has teamed up with robotic technology consultants GOBOTiX to create a vehicle that will be used to test a variety of advanced vehicle functionality. TRL, with a long history in studies of the development and impact of advanced vehicle technologies, has donated a Toyota Prius to GOBOTiX, who will adapt the vehicle for innovative systems research. The first step will be for GOBOTiX to install drive-by-wire systems to replace mechanical linkages and actuators for