UK drug-driving in the spotlight

A panel of scientists and academics is being established by the UK Department for Transport (DfT) to advise on the possible implementation of rules covering drug-driving, along the lines of existing drink-driving laws. MDMA, cocaine, opiates and cannabis are seen by the DfT as the primary drugs for consideration. The experts will examine whether such a law should be introduced, with elements such as possible legal limits to be looked into. If it is decided the move is technically feasible, with regard to pu
March 23, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
A panel of scientists and academics is being established by the UK 1837 Department for Transport (DfT) to advise on the possible implementation of rules covering drug-driving, along the lines of existing drink-driving laws. MDMA, cocaine, opiates and cannabis are seen by the DfT as the primary drugs for consideration. The experts will examine whether such a law should be introduced, with elements such as possible legal limits to be looked into. If it is decided the move is technically feasible, with regard to putting in place a universal level regarding medicinal or illegal drugs, alongside roadside testing, legislation may be brought in.

Meanwhile, UK road safety charity 4235 Brake and 4236 Direct Line Car Insurance are calling for the government to push through proposals on tackling drug driving, as a survey reveals one in nine young drivers (11 per cent) has driven on illegal drugs in the past year.

The survey by Brake and Direct Line found that three per cent of young drivers (age 17-24) said they get behind the wheel after taking drugs once a month or more. Slightly more young drivers are admitting drug driving than four years ago, when one in 11 young drivers (nine per cent) owned up to this behaviour.

Brake is calling for long-needed reform, including a new law making it an offence to drive while on illegal drugs, to rectify an existing loophole. Currently it is only an offence to drive while impaired by drugs, meaning police must prove impairment to prosecute. Brake is also calling for approval and roll-out of roadside drug screening devices, so police can test for drugs at the roadside and immediately following a crash.

Brake has produced a fact page on drug driving which is available at this link: %$Linker: External 0 0 0 oLinkExternal www.brake.org.uk/facts/drug-driving-an-overview.htm Fact Page on Drug Driving false http://www.brake.org.uk/facts/drug-driving-an-overview.htm false false%>

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Online parking portal aids driver parking management
    March 3, 2014
    Scheidt & Bachmann is claiming that parking will become easier and more convenient with its new parking Portal, which it will feature at Intertraffic Amsterdam 2014. The company has developed the web portal where customers can register online, self-administrate their data and activate their identification media - RFID tags or licence plate numbers. Operators can offer this service to their customers without any administrative effort by the operator. The benefit for customers is that parking no longer has
    Read More
  • UK road safety charity calls for drivers to stay sober
    December 19, 2016
    UK road safety charity Brake is calling on drivers to stay sober if driving over the Christmas period or plan to get home by taxi or public transport, to prevent road casualties. Brake is renewing calls for a zero tolerance drink drive limit of 20mg alcohol per 100ml of blood, in line with evidence which claims that even one drink dramatically increases crash risk and to send a clear message it should be none for the road. Brake says a blood alcohol level of 20-50mg increases the likelihood of crashing t
    Read More
  • ITS Ireland explains Design Manual changes
    March 19, 2014
    ITS Ireland will begin its 2014 seminar program with an examination of the changes being made to the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB) as part of a major revision being carried out by the National Roads Authority. The revision will be in three-stages (Infrastructure, Devices, and Procedures) first of which has been published and the second is currently in production. ITS Ireland said the focus of the presentation in its seminar will be on the documents issued by the NRA and the package that
    Read More
  • USDOT launches Co-Pilot cost estimation tool
    December 18, 2014
    The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has launched its Co-Pilot Cost Overview for Planning Ideas and Logical Organisation Tool. Co-Pilot is a high-level cost estimation planning tool designed to facilitate the development of cost estimates for the connected vehicle pilot deployments. Featuring an intuitive and user-friendly interface, co-pilot allows users to generate deployment cost estimates for 56 applications drawn from the following program areas: Vehicle-to-vehicle safety; Vehicle-to-infra
    Read More

Highlighted Content