POLICE START TESTING DRIVERS FOR DRUGS

ROADSIDE tests to discover how many motorists are driving under the
influence of drugs are to be tried out by police. Almost one in three
drivers killed is under the influence of alcohol and one in five has traces
of drugs in the bloodstream.

Results from the first year of a three-year study are expected to show that
driving while under the influence of drugs is six times more common than a
decade ago, either through illicit drug-taking or the increased use of
prescribed drugs.

Several police forces will be allowed to carry out roadside drug tests to
help to discover the scale of the problem. Previously released figures have
been based on tests carried out on drivers killed in road accidents, which
may exaggerate the number.

Further extensive research is to be announced today by Baroness Hayman, the
Road Safety Minister, who is also anxious to improve information about the
problem, especially among young people. Road safety groups and motoring
organisations are alarmed that drivers in their twenties would never
consider drinking and driving but are prepared to sit behind the wheel
after taking Ecstasy tablets.

The move will make Britain a world leader in carrying out widespread
drug-testing. Only small trials have been carried out in other countries,
including Germany.

However, ministers are wary of taking tougher action against drivers shown
to have traces of drugs in their system, because many substances remain in
the bloodstream for days - sometimes weeks - after they cease to impair
judgment.

They believe that present laws governing whether motorists are fit to drive
are adequate.