Over half of the motorists screened during a crackdown on drug-driving over the summer failed their roadside test, according to the latest figures.
An average of 37 drivers were caught each day driving under the influence of illegal substances, which worked out to 57% of the 1,962 motorists that were tested.
Data from Jun 14th to July 15th, gathered from 38 police forces across England and Wales, showed that there was a major gap between the people tested for alcohol and those tested for other drugs.
Some 36.675 breath tests were carried out during this period. 3,667 – around 1 in 10 – of these tests returned a positive result, were refused by the driver, or failed by the driver.
2,022 drug-driving tests were conducted last year, 1,084 (53.6%) of which came back positive. The figures from 2016 show that 2,588 tests were conducted, with 1,028 (39.7%) coming back failed, according to the National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC).
Police officers check drivers for cocaine and cannabis with “drugalyzers” by swabbing the suspect’s mouth. They can also take suspects to the police station for a blood test to check for other drugs like heroin and ecstasy. These tests are primarily conducted on motorists that are driving erratically or are involved in accidents.
Photo Credit: “Day 299 – West Midlands Police – Police” (CC BY-SA 2.0) by West Midlands Police
