Drug-driving crackdown

NSW roads minister Melinda Pavey has confirmed the launch of an awareness campaign for pharmacists, GPs and consumers about the risks of driving while on prescription medication.

She announced the move along with other road safety measures which will also mean patients treated with methadone will have to pass a “fitness-to-drive” assessment when they start treatment or if their dose changes.

Pavey said the definition of “drug” in the state’s Road Transport Act was being expanded to include legal prescription medications as well as emerging illicit drugs.

“The law is still there - driving under the influence of a drug can mean illicit or prescribed - but this gives us capacity to name new drugs coming in,” she said.

“Any mind or brain altering substance, whether it be alcohol, illicit drugs, or pharmaceutical drugs - they can all have an impact on your ability to drive safely.”

NSW chief health officer, Dr Kerry Chant, said health professionals must educate patients on the risk of driving while taking medication.

“We want to strengthen the information provided to patients on the risks of prescription medication and how that might interact with things, particularly alcohol.”

Chant also stressed that patients who were stable on opioid treatments such as methadone were safe drivers.