Drug-driving reaching an ‘alarming scale’

THE head of the Road Safety Authority has described the potential scale of drug-driving in Ireland as “alarming” as it emerged that 1,444 motorists tested positive for drugs last year.

RSA chief executive Noel Brett said research indicated drug driving could be a serious problem as 6% of young motorists admitted driving under the influence of recreational drugs.

The RSA survey of 1,000 people aged 17-34 also highlighted how 22% admitted they had been a passenger in a car driven by someone under the influence of drugs.

Almost half of respondents said they had used some recreational drugs in the past, with 13% admitting they had used such substances within the previous two months.

However, 79% said they regarded driving under the influence of drugs as “very unacceptable”. Half of all those who admitted to having driven under the influence of drugs have also previously been fined for other road traffic offences.

Almost three-quarters of those surveyed viewed ecstasy, alcohol and cocaine as extremely dangerous substances to have taken while driving. However, just 46% rated cannabis or marijuana as posing the same risk for motorists.

Speaking at the RSA’s annual lecture on road safety in Dublin, Mr Brett said the findings suggested drug drivers consider themselves better drivers while under the influence of drugs.

“They also think there is a lower risk of collision compared with drink driving,” said Mr Brett. He expressed concern that many motorists demonstrated little knowledge of the effects of driving under the influence of drugs.

Dr Doug Beirness, the author of a new OECD report entitled Drugs and Driving told the conference drugs were a contributory factor in as many as one in three deaths among motorists in Canada.

Dr Beirness called for greater research into the effects of illegal drugs as well as prescription drugs and over-the-counter medicines on motorists.

He also acknowledged the issue of drug-driving presented more complex, legal and scientific difficulties than drink driving for legislative authorities but one which could not be ignored.

“We’ve a long way to go to specify drug limits that would be legally and scientifically acceptable,” said Dr Beirness.

He added: “The drug-driving problem is of a magnitude deserving a societal response comparable to that afforded the drink-driving problem over the past 30 years.”

Professor Denis Cusack of the Medical Bureau of Road Safety said the issue presented many practical difficulties, such as the absence of a single, mechanical device capable of testing for a wide range of drugs.

He expressed concern that although more than 1,400 cases of drug driving were detected last year, only 831 resulted in a conviction.

Assistant Garda Commissioner John Twomey said gardaí would begin training early next year in the detection of drug driving in advance of a new road traffic bill which will give gardaí powers to carry out preliminary impairment roadside tests on motorists.

Mr Twomey said 425,000 breath tests had been carried out on motorists so far in 2010, of which just over 1,000 were found to be over the limit.

The assistant garda commissioner said the results would indicate there was a reduction in the incidence of drink driving as the level had now fallen to one in 400 of those breath-tested compared to one in 150 four years ago.