Police hit the streets in state drug blitz

MOTORISTS can expect a heavy police presence on our roads this week as Toowoomba officers take part in a statewide operation targeting drugged driving.

Police launched Operation Tango Anaconda yesterday to run until June 30.

Queensland Police Service Acting Inspector Paul Algie said drugged driving was linked to about 10 per cent of road fatalities nationwide, with the impairment significantly increasing the likelihood of a crash.

“If you are driving with drugs in your system you are 10 times more likely to be responsible for a crash,” he said.

“We know all too well that these crashes have very serious consequences that can directly impact your life and those around you.”

The operation comes as police respond to a horror February on the state’s roads.

Between January 1 and March 1, 43 people died in traffic crashes, which is more than double the number killed in the same period in 2020.

According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s 2016 National Drug Strategy Household Survey, the rate of self-reported drug driving sat at about 15.1 per cent in 2017.

In the past two years, roadside drug testing in Queensland has more than doubled, as technology improves.

“The message we are sending is very clear – if you are under the influence of drugs, do not get behind the wheel,” Insp Algie said.

“If you are drug driving, you can expect to see us.”