Skip to main content

Home office approval for roadside drug testing device

International safety manufacturer, Dräger, has received Home Office approval for its drug detection equipment for roadside drug testing. The fully automated Dräger DrugTest 5000 will be used by police forces around the UK, to test for cannabis and cocaine at the roadside, similar to the in which way drivers are breathalysed for alcohol. The device can also be used to in a range of industries including transport, logistics and haulage. The easy-to-use DrugTest 5000 underwent rigorous testing at the Home Offi
February 27, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
International safety manufacturer, Dräger, has received Home Office approval for its drug detection equipment for roadside drug testing.

The fully automated Dräger DrugTest 5000 will be used by police forces around the UK, to test for cannabis and cocaine at the roadside, similar to the in which way drivers are breathalysed for alcohol.

The device can also be used to in a range of industries including transport, logistics and haulage.

The easy-to-use DrugTest 5000 underwent rigorous testing at the Home Office’s centre for applied science and technology (CAST) to confirm its accuracy. It has been designed for real time usage, with the ability to analyse saliva samples immediately for precise results on the spot.

Whilst operating in real time, the Dräger DrugTest 5000 also has extensive data management capabilities, allowing for up to 400 individual measurements to be stored at any one time. An integral part of the equipment, this offers longer term solutions for users, with track-able data supporting target areas for enforcement.
The approval of this mobile device also means officers will no longer have to wait until they are at the police station to test drivers they suspect of being under the influence of drugs.

The approval comes as new drug driving legislation is due to come into effect in March 2015, meaning people caught driving under the influence of drugs will face harsher penalties including up to six months’ imprisonment, a US$7,000 fine and 12 months’ disqualification.

The Dräger DrugTest 5000 is already widely used by police forces around the country and the rest of the world, with around 2,000 sold in the UK and approximately 100,000 worldwide.

Related Content

  • Michigan senate approves repeal of motorcycle helmet law
    April 19, 2012
    AAA Michigan has said it strongly opposes legislation approved by the Michigan Senate late Wednesday (June 28) which, if approved by the House, would repeal Michigan's nearly four-decade old mandatory motorcycle helmet law.
  • Millbrook named as approved RDE testing facility for VCA
    June 22, 2017
    Millbrook Group, the independent vehicle testing and validation services provider, has been appointed as an approved facility to provide real driving emissions (RDE) testing by the UK’s Vehicle Certification Agency, VCA.
  • Jaguar Land Rover to begin real-world tests of CAV technologies
    July 18, 2016
    Jaguar Land Rover plans to create a fleet of more than 100 research vehicles over the next four years, to develop and test a wide range of connected and autonomous vehicle (CAV) technologies. The first of these research cars will be driven on a new 41 mile test route on UK motorways and urban roads around Coventry and Solihull later this year. The initial tests will involve vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communications technologies that will allow cars to talk to each other and roadsid
  • The future looks bright for ITS
    June 4, 2015
    Professor Eric Sampson talks about the past successes of ITS, its potential for the future and the challenges the industry faces. If anybody should know when Intelligent Transport Systems started that person is Professor Eric Sampson, a visiting professor at both Newcastle and London City Universities. Having spent 40 years working for the UK’s Department of Transport and other public administrations, Professor Sampson now supports the European Commission on ITS systems and advises ERTICO ITS-Europe and ITS