BAY DRIVERS TARGET FOR RANDOM DRUG TESTS

MOTORISTS will be tested for drugs at roadside checkpoints in the Western
Bay under a new national trial this year.

The pilot scheme will run in the Bay of Plenty and several other districts
at once for between three and six months.

The trial's aim is mainly to assess how bad the problem of driving under
the influence of drugs was _ but police warned that those caught would
still be charged.

Acting Inspector Kevin Taylor, police road manager for the Bay of Plenty,
today confirmed the pilot scheme would be introduced in the Western Bay.

Police said that trained staff would be 95 per cent accurate in determining
if people were on drugs.

Police would examine drivers' pupil dilation and those suspected of having
used drugs would have to do coordination tests like walking in a straight line.

Drivers would be taken to hospital for further tests to confirm police
suspicions.

At least three fatal crashes in the Bay had occurred because of drivers
being under the influence of drugs, he said.

Mr Taylor refused to say where the checkpoints would be introduced.

"They would happen anywhere, any place, any time."

Police national road safety manager Superintendent Steve Fitzgerald said:
"We would likely go to areas where we thought the problem (with drugs and
driving) was bad, like Northland and the Bay of Plenty . . . then we might
also go to areas where we think the problem isn't as bad to get a good idea
of how big the problem is," Mr Fitzgerald said.

Waikato and Christchurch were understood to be other districts being
considered.

Under The Land Transport Act it is an offence to drive under the influence
of a drug to the extent of being "incapable of having proper control".

It is not illegal to drive with drugs in your system and the threshold to
charge people _ as being "incapable of driving" _ is something police are
considering.

Mr Fitzgerald said police were waiting to see the results of a trial in
Victoria, Australia _ where 7000 heavy vehicle drivers were being tested
over a year from July _ before they made a final decision.

The drug testing move follows the revelation that the Bay of Plenty has the
country's highest rate of recidivist drink drivers _ 1400.

Meanwhile, next month a representative of Britain's Transport Research
Laboratory will visit New Zealand to discuss drug testing drivers with
police, health, Government and drug agency officials.

Mr Fitzgerald said the representative would access the problem then write a
suggested action plan. He added that he hoped police would be drug testing
drivers throughout the country within the next two years.