CALL TO HALT DRUG-DRIVE CHECKS

EXPERTS urged ministers yesterday to shelve plans to test drivers for drugs
because of a lack of evidence that they are a significant cause of road
deaths and injuries.

Ministers expressed alarm this year when studies suggested that the
percentage of drivers killed with traces of illegal drugs in their body had
increased from 3 per cent in 1986 to 18 per cent in 1996. They immediately
announced trials of roadside drug-testing equipment as the first step
towards widespread checks.

Senior doctors and safety campaigners cast doubt on whether the costs would
be worthwhile. Tests that show a drug has impaired driving ability cost
UKP350 and remain unproven.

A report published by the AA yesterday said the increasing incidence of
drugs was not enough to merit new laws and expensive tests. James Bevan,
the organisation's senior medical consultant, said: "Drug testing is much
more complex than drink-driving tests."

Copyright 1998 Times Newspapers Ltd.

Checked-by: Mike Gogulski