POLICE TO COMBAT DRUG-DRIVERS

POLICE could be given greater powers to arrest drug-taking drivers as
figures show the spiralling influence of illegal substances in fatal
smashes, the Government said today.

Ministers want to toughen the law and to educate officers in drug
recognition techniques which would give them greater confidence to arrest a
suspect, the Department of Transport confirmed.

The move comes as doctors' leaders called for drug-driving tests and warned
that both legal and illegal substances impaired the ability to drive safely
in the same lethal way as alcohol.

The British Medical Association said the Government must co-ordinate
"speedier and more scientific research" to establish effective drug testing
devices as soon as possible.

It should also raise awareness of the issue with the public and educate
them on the impact of drugs on driving ability.

Between 1985 and 1999 the percentage of people involved in fatal road
accidents who tested positive for cannabis increased four-fold from 3 per
cent to 12 per cent, research from the Transport Research Laboratory found.

The BMA fears that this number will rise given the increasing use of drugs.
Nearly half of 16 to 24 years old in England and Wales are reported as
having tried cannabis and 39 per cent claimed to have taken hallucinogens,
it said.