Fivefold rise in drivers on cocaine

THERE has been an alarming rise in the number of drivers who have tested positive for driving under the influence of cocaine in the past two years.

Figures provided by the Medical Bureau of Road Safety show that 48 drivers tested positive for the drug last year. The number has increased almost five-fold since 2002 when only 10 drivers tested positive for cocaine.

That figure increased to 37 in 2003.

The bureau analyses blood, urine and breath specimens of persons suspected of driving offences.

Bureau director, Professor Denis Cusack, said the increase in the number of samples tested for cocaine was the most notable change in recent years.

“This is the second year in a row that cocaine has gone right up and this would tie in with reports about drug abuse,” Prof Cusack said.

The pattern reflects the dramatic increase in cocaine usage in recent years. A survey by the National Advisory Committee on Drugs last year showed that 3% of the population had taken cocaine.

The number of samples sent to the bureau increased by 37% from 416 in 2003 to 569 last year. Almost half of those, or 247 samples, tested positive for drugs.

“The fact that we are receiving more specimens must indicate that more people are being stopped for drug driving,” Prof Cusack said.

The majority of the samples tested by the bureau are from drivers who were suspected to have been intoxicated but who were found to be under the legal limit for alcohol.

Cannabis remained the most frequently found drug, followed by tranquillisers such as valium, then opiates and cocaine. These were followed by methadone, then amphetamines and methamphetamines.

“The trend is the same as last year and is very much in keeping with the trend across Europe,” Prof Cusack said.

There is no roadside test for drug driving but the Department of Transport said random testing for alcohol and drugs would be included in a package on road safety being prepared by Transport Minister

Martin Cullen. However, this may be open to serious legal challenges as there are civil liberty issues involved.

The National Safety Council (NSC) said it was encouraging to see that the number of detections was increasing.