DRIVERS FACE TESTS FOR DRUG TAKING

Roadside drug tests for motorists, including screening for dilated eyeballs
and tests for illegal substances in saliva, are expected to be introduced
by the Government as part of a road safety strategy to be published next month.

The Department of Transport is devising prototype drug-testing kits,
similar to breathalysers, to detect whether drivers have been using illegal
drugs that can impair judgment on the road.

The Government plans to give the go-ahead for police to make suspected drug
users try to touch their nose, walk in a straight line and stand on one
leg. If motorists who have passed a breathalyser test cannot perform these
physical tasks, police will be able to test them for traces of marijuana,
cocaine, heroin and ecstasy.

The Government has ruled out taking roadside urine or blood tests because
they are too intrusive but wants its research laboratory to perfect a
device which can test for a variety of illegal drugs by using sweat or saliva.

Although driving while under the influence of drugs is illegal and brings
with it a pounds 5,000 fine or six months in prison, the police do not have
specific powers to test motorists at the roadside for drug use. But there
has been an upsurge in drug-related accidents on the road in the last 10
years, which has convinced the Government of the need for action.

More than 20 per cent of fatal road accidents involve illegal drugs
compared to three per cent in 1986. More than 750,000 people have been in a
car driven by someone on drugs, according to recent research by the RAC.
The research found that 500,000 people have been passengers in cars while
the drivers were under the influence of cannabis, while 100,000 claim to
have been driven by drivers on ecstasy or cocaine.

Ministers are also looking at clearer labelling for prescription drugs such
as sedatives and antihistamines, which can lead to drowsiness and cut
response times at the wheel. Some countries, such as France, include car
symbols on medication which should not be used while driving. The European
Union is examining whether this should be used across Europe.

A Department of Transport spokesman said: "There is drug-taking going on
and we know there are accidents which occur when the driver may be taking
drugs. It is a priority to deal with this."

The road safety strategy might also include moves to cut speed limits in
residential areas and a revision of the blood-alcohol limit for drink-driving.