APPEAL FOR ACTION OVER DRUG-DRIVERS

The Government is being urged to tackle the growing problem of "drug
driving" through a big education programme. Illegal drug-takers now account
for one in five of all motoring deaths in Britain, a team of 11 medical
experts commissioned by the Automobile Association says.

Figures show that in 16 per cent of motoring deaths in Britain, traces of
illegal drugs were found. In 75 per cent of those deaths, cannabis was found
in the person's bloodstream.

But most people driving under the influence of illegal and legal drugs do
not know they are breaking the law, the experts say today in a discussion
paper, which goes on to point out that it costs police UKP350 to do the
necessary tests to prosecute a driver believed to be under the influence of
drugs.

The panel wants the departments of health and transport and the Home Office
to re-examine their policies on accidents where people are found to have
been influenced by drugs.

Checked-by: Don Beck