DRIVERS MAY FACE DRUGS TESTS

Police Desperate To Rein In Soaring Road Toll

POLICE plan to propose the introduction of drug tests on drivers, in
what is hoped will give law enforcement another useful tool in
clamping down on traffic offenders.

Studies conducted by the force have shown that some drivers involved
in serious accidents or who even died at the wheel had been under the
influence of drugs. Despite the fact few such cases (mostly youths)
have been recorded, police still believe introducing narcoanalysis is
warranted.

Relevant laws would first need to be passed, as police currently only
have the right to test blood samples for alcohol and not narcotics
substances.

"We are in the process of studying this issue," deputy traffic chief
Doros Achilleos told the Cyprus Mail. "But the legal aspect needs to
be straightened out before we can proceed."

Achilleos could not offer a time frame for the implementation of the
measure, but added that the police wanted it in place "as soon as possible".

It is not clear whether drug tests will be given in the case of an
accident or whether it will also cover minor infractions, such as
erratic or dangerous driving.

Narco-testing has met with varying success in different countries. In
the US, random tests have led to a drugs bust on some occasions.

Police hope this and other measures will ultimately help curb the
alarmingly high number of road deaths on the island. They say their
efforts have often been frustrated by lack of funds, even though an
ambitious five-year plan on road safety was announced back in 2002.

A project to have trucks and heavy vehicles installed with
speed-breakers on the accelerator is reportedly bogged down because
the required (partial) subsidisation from the government has not been
made available. So although the relevant law requiring use of these
devices has been passed, it has been rendered ineffectual.

For the time being, deterrence seems to be the most practical means of
decreasing traffic offences. Police have been mounting periodic
crackdown operations, but while the busts themselves are immensely
successful, this has not translated into improved road safety,
suggesting that wayward Cypriot drivers will simply not mend their
ways.

"It's the mentality, it needs to change " Achilleos observed,
acknowledging that it had all been said before countless times.

"You get kids challenging each other in races and whatnot they even
have rival clans " He said the latest traffic raid in Nicosia alone
last weekend busted around 170 drivers, the vast majority of which
(145) were caught speeding. Use of a mobile phone while on the wheel
was the second reason and running red lights came in third.

Again, the statistics agree with real life: speeding is the primary
cause of death on Cyprus roads. But despite the safety campaign
launched by the police, the trend is discouraging. So far this year,
75 people have lost their lives in a vehicle; this time last year the
grim number stood at 68.

Given that mentality seems to be a major issue, some argue that people
should be educated at an early age, for example by taking obligatory
classes in high school. Others point out that the police's mandate is
to simply enforce the law and that the force cannot be expected to
also educate drivers.