Traffic laws will crack down on drug driving

Gardaí will have greater powers to tackle drug driving under laws to be unveiled today.

The new Road Traffic Bill, launched by Transport Minister Leo Varadkar, is part of a crackdown that will aid the efforts of gardaí to deal with motorists they suspect to be under the influence of banned substances, or prescription medicines.

Gardaí will also be able, for the first time, to take blood samples from unconscious drivers at the scene of an accident under the proposed legislation.

Mr Varadkar was unveiling the new laws at a major road safety conference at Farmleigh House in Dublin’s Phoenix Park.

The growing problem of drug-driving has prompted the Government to grant new powers to gardaí.

While the Medical Bureau of Road Safety awaits tenders for a suitable machine to detect drug use — similar to a breathalyser for alcohol — gardaí will be able to carry out impairment tests on suspected drivers.

Drivers believed to be under the influence of banned substances can be made to carry out tests by the roadside, such as walking in a straight line, or hand/eye co-ordination movements to gauge their status.

Campaign groups have welcomed the provisions allowing gardaí to take blood samples from unconscious drivers as they believe a legal loophole has allowed some motorists to escape prosecution because it was not possible to gain their permission.

Mr Varadkar’s road safety strategy aims to reduce road deaths to 124 by 2020 with a “zero-tolerance” approach to illicit drug-driving as well as motorists whose driving is impaired by the use of prescription medicines.

Other road safety initiatives will see cyclists liable for on-the-spot fines and a ban on people over the legal drink driving limit being allowed to act as an accompanying driver for learner permit holders.

Motorists will also be legally obliged to carry a breakdown emergency pack including a first aid kit, high visibility vest, torch, and breakdown triangle in their vehicle by the end of 2014.

New drivers will also have to display an “N” for novice plate on their vehicle for two years after passing their test.