LEARNING THE DRUG DRIVE CODE

Police want a new device to test for drug use Deaths from drug driving are
seemingly on the increase - Durham Police reveal 50% of fatalities so far
this year in the county were influenced by drugs.

Roadside testing for drugs among motorists is not yet available, but BBC
News Online found the knowledge of how drugs effect our driving is getting
better.

Superintendent Barry Peart, who heads Durham Police's traffic department
said many people are unaware of the effect drugs have on their driving.

"At the moment a lot of the evidence of drugs and driving comes from
assessing the fatalities," he said.

"We want to find these people and stop them driving under the influence of
drugs before they kill themselves or someone else."

Rebecca Finlay, press officer for Addaction, the UK's leading drug
treatment agency, agreed that many drivers forget the physical effect of drugs.

"Our advice is for people to be as aware of the hazards of drugged driving
as they are about drink driving," she said.

With their help, BBC News Online has compiled this guide to how drugs can
impair a motorist's ability to drive.

Cannabis

Cannabis is a relaxant and may reduce a person's ability to react quickly
in pressurised situations.

The effects can be likened to having five or six pints of beer or lager.

The drug has a very similar effect to alcohol, but usually lasts a shorter
amount of time - roughly two to four hours.

But traces of drugs can still be detected in a person's system for weeks
after being taken.

It can make a person unsteady and can blur vision.

Reaction on the road is slowed down, driver can have a lack of
concentration and poor hand and eye co-ordination.

At times there can be a feeling of euphoria, replaced later with drowsiness.

Mixed with alcohol the effects of cannabis can increase dramatically - a
person can feel completely disorientated.

Ecstasy

Ecstasy is a stimulant which falsely heightens a person's perception of
light and sound.

It is also an hallucinogenic drug.

It can give a person a feeling of euphoria and an increase of energy.

They may well have a feeling of "invincibility" which changes a person's
driving, making it less planned than normal.

Supt Peart said: "A person taking ecstasy may drive into danger with a
smile on their face.

"They may well think they are a better driver than they actually are."

Mixed with other elements, such as alcohol, exaggerates the above effects
to an even greater extent.

Cocaine

Also a stimulant which again falsely heightens a person's perception of
light and sound.

Very similar effect on driving as ecstasy - feeling of invincibility and
euphoria.

The incidents of cocaine being found in victims of driving accidents is
becoming more common.

Again, mixed with other substances such as alcohol, the effects of cocaine
and driving can be potentially lethal.

Heroin

The numbers of drivers found with heroin in their blood after a road
traffic fatality are said to be increasing.

But it is widely agreed that someone heavily under the influence of heroin
will be unlikely to be in any fit condition to attempt to drive.

Prescription drugs

These can also have a detrimental effect on driving.

Drugs such as temazepam or diazepam taken for depression are cropping up in
tests after road deaths.

These can cause drowsiness and those taking such tablets are warned against
using machinery.

Similarly strong migraine and hay fever tablets can cause a similar
drowsiness and a lack of speedy reaction to situations.

Users of these kinds of prescription tablets are advised not to drink and
the mix of alcohol can seriously impair driving ability, perhaps resulting
in blurred vision.