MORE DRIVERS TEST FOR DRUGS THAN DRINK

ALMOST three times as many NSW drivers have tested positive to
illegal drugs as those caught with alcohol in their systems, a new
police random drug testing unit has found.

Of the 1600 drivers stopped and given a swab test by the unit since
it was established in January, one in 46 were discovered to have
taken illegal drugs.

In some areas, one in eight long haul truck drivers tested were
caught using illegal drugs, chiefly amphetamines.

By comparison, random breath testing catches one driver in 130 for
driving over their alcohol limit.

The program's success comes despite delays in setting up the testing
unit, which has been criticised by the NSW Opposition for being
under-resourced, and carrying out only 15 tests a week in its early
days.

Police admit the numbers may be distorted because the drug unit -
consisting of a single unmarked van staffed by eight officers -
targeted truck routes and entertainment districts where they expected
to find a high proportion of drug users on the road.

Superintendent John Hartley, the traffic services commander, said the
drug unit's high strike rate was explained in part by the locations
where testing took place, based on intelligence from local area commands.

"The fact is we are targeting areas where we know people are [taking
drugs] so it might be distorted by that," Superintendent Hartley told
Channel Ten.

"We are targeting drivers that might make the road unsafe and who
might kill."

After amphetamines such as speed - favoured by some truck drivers to
keep them awake - ecstasy and cannabis were popular among drivers.

The tests take the form of a mouth swab, which is processed on site
in the police van, taking about five minutes.

If it shows a positive result, a second test is taken inside the
vehicle. If necessary police can detain drivers and order them to
undergo a blood test in a hospital.

A police spokesman said two more random drug testing units are under
construction and would be rolled out later this year, and more
standard patrol cars would be fitted with testing kits within 18 months.

In 2006, before the testing van came online, 970 NSW drivers tested
positive for drugs, but that figure is expected to rise markedly with
the advent of the new unit.

Random breath testing for alcohol was introduced in 1982. Since then,
fatal crashes involving alcohol have dropped from 40 per cent of all
fatalities to 19 per cent.

Last year, 3.4 million random breath tests were carried out in NSW.
"These results, over four months of testing, show that our roadside
drug testing laws are working," the NSW Police Minister, David
Campbell, said.