Petition seeks roadside drug tests
A Christchurch family who lost their son to a drug driver a year ago are backing a petition to introduce roadside drug testing.
Matthew Dow, 23, was killed in Nelson on New Year’s Eve in 2017, after his car was hit by another driver who was high on methamphetamine.
That driver, Takaka woman Alicia Fulcher-Poole, was driving erratically on the Appleby Highway between Richmond and Motueka before crossing the centre line and running into Dow’s car. In October she was jailed for 31⁄2 years on charges including driving causing death while under the influence of drugs.
Nelson MP Nick Smith launched the petition yesterday with the Dow family, at the spot where Matthew was killed.
Matthew’s parents, Peter and Karen Dow, said the petition was about New Zealand taking drug driving seriously.
‘‘If we can save just one life and one family the heartache we have experienced, this petition will be worth it.
‘‘Our hope as a family, launching Matthew’s petition today on the anniversary of his death, is to highlight the number of road deaths attributed to drug drivers.’’
Karen Dow said her son had been called a ‘‘road safety nerd’’, due to his emphasis on keeping people safe in his car.
He had kept a dashboard camera in his car, and often made his younger brother ride in the back seat because it was safer.
Before driving from Christchurch to Nelson on Boxing Day last year, he had made sure to replace all four tyres on his Suzuki Swift, she said.
‘‘The tragedy that struck our family could have been anyone’s – Matthew was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.’’
Smith said Dow’s tragic death was one of seven fatalities in the region last year where meth or cannabis were identified as a cause or contributing factor.
Last year there were 79 deaths nationally involving drug drivers, compared to 70 deaths where drink drivers were involved. Smith said that while there had been about 16,000 convictions for drink driving during that time, there had been less than 200 for drug driving.
He said the roadside drug testing would be based on similar models used in Australia, Britain and Canada – where police use a random saliva testing programme.
Retired Nelson police Sergeant Terry Richards said the current legislation was currently too restrictive, making it nearimpossible to secure a conviction.