Roadside drug testing 'may be introduced in Britain soon'
30 Dec 2011
The British government may introduce roadside drug-testing in the
UK in order to cut down on the number of accidents that occur as a
result of people
driving under the influence of illegal
substances.
According to BBC News, David Cameron is keen to bring in measures
that would see police allowed to carry out saliva tests for
cannabis, cocaine and other drugs "as soon as possible".
In France and Germany, this is already legal and the prime minister
is keen to emulate their systems to stop people taking drugs and
then getting behind the wheel.
Currently, British drivers are simply checked for symptoms like
dilated pupils and then asked to walk in a straight line. They can
be taken for blood tests, but road safety campaigners insist this
does not happen often enough.
However, those opposing roadside drug testing point out that some
drugs stay in the blood for days after they have an effect on the
body, potentially resulting in unfair convictions for unsafe
driving.
Back in August, Brake called for roadside drug testing to be made
legal to reduce road traffic accidents, with a Confused.com poll
finding that five per cent of motorists admit to
drug-driving.
There are around 250 fatal accidents in Britain each year involving
drugs and motorists.
Anyone charged with any kind of
motoring offence may wish to contact the
specialist solicitors at Hodge Jones & Allen, who will ensure
that the case is handled with a minimum of stress, as well as
potentially avoiding fines and driving bans.
