Crash families welcome drug tests
The families of crash victims who perished in a horrific car smash caused by a driver high on synthetic cannabis have welcomed news roadside testing is being introduced to get drug-impaired motorists off the roads.
On Wednesday, Associate Transport Minister Julie Anne Genter announced roadside drug testing would be rolled out by
2021. The move means police will be able to test for drug-driving at roadside stations, similar to those used to assess drink-drivers.
The news was widely applauded by family members of some of the seven people killed in a headon crash near Waverley on June
27, 2018.
Ian Porteous, 80, wife Rosalie
Porteous, 76, sister Ora Keene, 84, and the trio’s friend, Brenda Williams, 79, all of Waverley, died at the crash scene along with Jeremy Thompson, 28, and his
6-month-old baby girl Shady Thompson.
Nivek Madams, 8, died the following day in hospital. The children’s mother, Ani Nohinohi, was the sole survivor.
At an inquest, Thompson was found to be at fault, and toxicology tests completed postmortem on him found traces of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) as well as two chemicals connected to synthetic drugs, 5F-MDMBPICA and 5F-ADB, the latter of which is considered a dangerous synthetic cannabinoid.
Following the inquest’s findings, the daughter-in-law of Ian and Rosalie, Shelley Porteous, penned an open letter to the Government seeking the urgent introduction of roadside drug testing.
Shelley Porteous, brother-in-law Logan Porteous, Ora’s son, Murray Keene, and other family have continuously championed the cause, joining forces with Karen Dow, who lost her son in a crash caused by a driver high on methamphetamine on New Year’s Eve 2017 in Nelson.
In the wake of the Government announcement, Shelley Porteous felt ‘‘really good’’ and was particularly pleased it had crossparty support.
‘‘We are really happy to see this progress. We wish it was now but at least we know they are taking it seriously.’’
She said the family would not celebrate though until they saw the first test implemented, and hopefully lives saved as a result.
For a while, she said she ‘‘got a bit down’’ about the lack of action ‘‘but now hearing that something is happening is quite exciting’’.
She believed the change would result in a ‘‘big difference’’ in the road toll and she hoped in some way their family members who died in the crash would know their loss resulted in a change for all of New Zealand.
‘‘They have made a difference,’’ Shelley Porteous said.
Nivek’s godmother, Joy Clark, welcomed the news and said that while it was too late for those innocent people who had already lost their lives because of drugged or drunk drivers, she also wanted to see a dedicated hotline being set up in a bid to deal with impaired motorists.
She said road safety was a matter for all New Zealanders.
‘‘We all need to be observant, be prepared to speak up and be willing to look at our own driving habits in regards to all drugs and alcohol.’’
In line with the new testing regime, drivers who return positive results will be fined and stopped from driving for a minimum of 12 hours.
They could also face criminal penalties if they fail a compulsory impairment test and a blood test confirms ‘‘impairing levels’’ of drugs in their system.
Police will use an oral fluid test for drugs including cannabis, methamphetamine, opiates, cocaine, MDMA (ecstasy), and benzodiazepines.
Some prescription drugs will also be tested for.
The drug-driving testing scheme will require new legislation, which will be introduced in the New Year.