Arrest for drug driving two days after legislation was introduced
N11 MOTORIST TESTED POSITIVE FOR OPIATES AND BENZODIAZEPINES AT 11 P.M. ON FRIDAY
ONE motorist tested positive for drug driving in the Bray Garda District two days after new legislation was introduced.
The driver of the vehicle – who was one of the first in the district to be tested under the new legislation which makes it illegal to drive under the influence of cannabis, cocaine or heroin – tested positive for Opiates and Benzodiazepines.
According to Garda Gabriel Plower, the motorist was stopped on Friday at 11 p.m. on the N11 on suspicion of drink driving.
‘He was stopped due to the manner of his driving,’ said Gda Plower.
However, after he passed the roadside breath test, gardaí were still not satisfied and tested his saliva on the Drager Drug Test device, which returned a result positive for both Opiates and Benzodiazepines. The motorist was arrested.
Gardaí in the district held 37 checkpoints throughout the bank holiday weekend – 19 were for drink/drug driving while 18 were crime check points.
Three motorists were caught drink driving in Bray, Enniskerry and Newtown while a total of 13 cars were seized for having no tax/insurance/NCT.
Bray Garda Station is one of the first stations nationwide to be issued with the mobile drug testing device, the Drager Drug Test 5000, during the introductory phase.
All stations throughout Wicklow that have Evidenzer Machines to test for the presence of alcohol, also have the Drager Drug Tester but they are not operational at the moment as they have to be certified and a policy document has to be drawn up. Over time, stations throughout the county will also be issued with mobile devices.
The new drug driving tests came into force last Wednesday, April 12, after a new Road Traffic Bill was passed in the Dail and Seanad in December 2016.
The new garda powers means gardaí can now establish roadside checkpoints, Mandatory Intoxicant Checkpoints (MIT), to test drivers for the presence of both alcohol and drugs.
Minister for Transport Shane Ross said: ‘Driving under the influence of drugs remains a problem in Ireland. It is estimated that drug driving is a factor in approximately one in ten fatal crashes. Drug driving not only puts the driver at risk but also passengers and others who share the road. The introduction of Preliminary Drug Testing now strengthens the ability of the gardai to tackle the problem.’
Motorists caught driving under the influence of drugs now face a minimum one-year disqualification if found to be above the legal threshold for cocaine, cannabis or heroin; a minimum of four years driving disqualification if found to have drugs in their system and are impaired to such an extent that you do not have proper control of a vehicle; up to €5,000 fine and/or up to six months in prison.