ROADSIDE TESTS FOR DRIVERS ON DRUGS

MOTORISTS will face roadside drug tests and tough new licensing
examinations by July in a further State Government attack on the road toll.

Transport Minister Vaughan Johnson said yesterday that drug-impaired
drivers who failed roadside behavioural tests would be forced to undergo
blood tests.

And in the first major overhaul of the state's licensing system in 15
years, motorists will need to negotiate heavy city traffic and other
testing driving conditions before their licences are approved.

Road safety experts have welcomed the moves to fight "drug-driving",
estimating that on a normal Saturday night up to 50,000 people in Brisbane
are influenced by drugs.

Police already are working with the Transport Department on drug impairment
criteria modelled on a successful programme used in California.

A Travelsafe Committee recommendation, released yesterday, that all road
accident victims, including pedestrians, be alcohol tested is expected to
be approved by the Government.

A spokesman for Mr Johnson said officers who suspected that drivers were
impaired by drugs would test them on the roadside.

"It will probably involve a number of simple tasks such as walking and
putting your finger between your eyes," the spokesman said.

Motorists failing the test would be blood-tested immediately and almost
certainly would lose their licence if the tests were positive.

Licence applicants will be tested in heavy traffic and on entrances to
freeways and roundabouts.

Learner drivers will need to keep a log book, listing the various driving
conditions they have experienced such as rainy weather, night driving,
low-grade roads and high-speed driving on freeways.

RACQ general manager of external relations Gary Fites welcomed the
initiatives but warned drug testing would result in legal difficulties.

"It's legal to drink, but regarding illicit drugs, any level will be deemed
to be illegal whether they affect your driving or not," he said.

"There are obvious civil liberties problems involved in this."

Mr Fites said responsible doctors would warn patients about the effect of
prescription drugs.

But legal difficulties could arise in relation to how explicit instructions
were, especially in relation to driving.

Mr Fites also noted random breath tests ensured all drivers were tested
whether they showed signs of intoxication or not.

Drug tests would catch only those with visual signs of impairment.

But Mr Fites pointed to research by Jeremy Davy, from the Queensland Centre
for Accident Research and Road Safety, showing between 40,000 and 50,000
people in Brisbane on a Saturday night were influenced by drugs.

The road toll in Queensland last year was the lowest in more than two decades.

This year's road toll - 22 fatalities as of March 1 - is 36 per cent below
last year's.