DRUG-USING DRIVERS ARE NEW TARGET

Police Will Be Looking For More Than Just Alcohol

From cough syrup to diet pills to marijuana, drugged drivers can be
just as deadly behind the wheel as drunks, say police.

Mounties say they see "dozens and dozens" of drivers impaired by
illicit or prescription drugs each weekend along Vancouver Island roads.

Campbell River RCMP say they regularly dole out prohibitions to
drugged drivers every week, noticeably more than in the past. Part of
the problem, say police, is a mentality among some drivers that
smoking a joint does not mean they are impaired, or people
self-medicating with legitimate drugs who do not think about the
consequences.

Popular decongestant Sudafed, antihistamines or even someone treating
a cold with medication that can affect the body's central nervous
system, could be literally impaired behind the wheel.

Recent legislation that gives police more power to charge drivers
impaired by drugs highlights the troubling trend.

"There's so many people who think, 'I would never drink and drive, but
I might have a joint,'" said Insp. Ted Smith, commander of Island
District Traffic Services. "We're noticing it more."

Smith estimates alcohol or drugs is involved in about half of all
fatal car crashes on the Island.

In Nanaimo, two RCMP officers will head to Arizona this week as part
of training to become Drug Recognition Experts that police must call
on if they think a driver is impaired by drugs. The officers will
study inmates, some high on morphine or full of anti-depressants, at a
Phoenix jail as part of their practical experience training.

"There's still drinking and driving. Now people are opting to other
forms of stuff and getting behind the wheel," said Nanaimo RCMP Sgt.
John Blaase, head of the traffic division.

Recent statistics suggest more B.C. drivers are using drugs than
alcohol, according to the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse.

In one of the first surveys to collect data on both drug and alcohol
use among drivers, the 2008 British Columbia Roadside Survey, released
in December, suggests that while fewer people were drinking and
driving, more drivers were using drugs: 10.4% of drivers showed
evidence of drug use compared to 8.1% of drivers that tested positive
for alcohol.

Police welcomed new legislation last year, which give police the power
to conduct roadside tests on drivers suspected of being impaired by
drugs. They can also go a step further and demand samples of blood,
saliva or urine.

Meanwhile, the Office of the Superintendent of Motor Vehicles is also
working on establishing an impaired by drugs charge for an
administrated driving prohibition.