BY GAVIN MACKINTOSH
Close to 8,000 arrests were made last year for drug driving in England and Wales, figures released by BBC Radio 5 live shows.
statistics from 35 of the 43 forces showed that 7,796 people were arrested between March 2015 and April 2016. The statistics make worrying reading for the habits of both countries, especially given the potential devastating effects of dangerous driving.
In March 2015 new drug driving laws in England and Wales made it a specific offense to drive after having certain drugs above prescribed levels.
The drugs prohibited include eight illegal drugs, cannabis, cocaine, and eight prescription drugs including Temazepam used to treat anxiety and morphine, both prescribed for pain relief.penalties are not applied for prescription drugs used within recommended amounts.The 8,000 arrests include users of prescription drugs.
Scotland and Northern Ireland both have separate legislation covering drug driving. Legislation in both countries make it an offense to drive under the influence of drink or drugs, after evidence was presented to show driving is impaired by drugs.More scary were the number of people caught driving under the influence of illegal drugs.
STAGGERING
The Metropolitan Police secured 1,636 drug related arrests, followed by Greater Manchester Police with 573, and the Cheshire force came a close third with 546. Other police forces in the country combined a total of the other estimated 6,000 arrests, a staggering amount of arrests for drug use.
A study published by the Department for Transport and seen by BBC Radio 5 live also suggests that 25% of young drivers know someone who has driven after smoking cannabis, and 11% know someone who has driven after taking Class A drugs.
LIST OF INCLUDED PRESCRIPTION DRUGS
The prescription drugs, typically used for a series of anxieties, seizures, panic disorders and convulsions, include Clonazepam, Diazepam, Flunitrazepam(also known as Rohypnol. Lorazepam, Temaepam, Methadone, Morphine.
KITS
The kit, which uses a mouth swab to check for the presence of drugs, reveal a blue line after 8mins, for those with drugs in their system. The test is very effective in detecting traces of Cannabis and Cocaine, but drivers are taken to the the police station for testing in the case of other drugs.
South Yorkshire Police drug driving-related arrests went from 13 in the year the test was introduced to 456 the following year – a 3,400% increase, according to a BBC Yorkshire Freedom of Information (FOI) request.
Gloucestershire Chief Constable, Suzette Davenport, the roads policing lead said: “The drug testing kit and the legislation are immensely helpful and have provided the operational officer with the tools necessary to help catch those who take the risk of drug driving.
“People who previously got away with driving under the influence of controlled drugs are now being detected and prosecuted.” The 8,000 arrests for drug driving in England and Wales will most surely be an indication of the number of accidents that have happened as a result of drug driving. Figures correlating the number of drug related arrests to the number of accidents were not included in the statistics, but we can logically surmise that there are many more high drivers who cause accidents are not caught. Even more worrying should be the logical deduction that many drug drivers are not caught at all but pose an ongoing danger to the public every time they drive high on drugs.
A big fraction of those who don’t get caught can be split into those who later cause accidents, and then eventually get caught, and those who never cause accidents and never get caught.Some in this latter group disorientate other drivers in the course of their daily journeys, and cause them to cause accidents , out of panic, whilst the hidden perpetrator gets away. Drivers high on cocaine or prescription drugs can loose concentration or suffer tiredness, in the process making them more prone to accidents and endangering the