Number of motorists ‘under the inf luence’ driven up by drug law
NEW drug-driving laws have led to a sharp increase in the number of motorists caught ‘under the influence’ behind the wheel.
The number has jumped by 40 per cent in the past year after police were handed powers to use ‘drugalysers’ in October 2019.
New figures reveal more than 5,000 motorists were charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs between April and October this year, compared with the same period last year.
Scottish Tory justice spokesman Liam Kerr said: ‘The SNP promised to crack down on drug-driving in 2017, following a Scottish Conservative campaign on the issue. Roadside testing and new limits were promised so Scotland could catch up with the rest of the UK. Unfortunately, it came into force a year later than was pledged. And now it’s being properly recorded, there is a large year-on-year spike in drug-driving.’
The Scottish Government figures show the number of ‘driving under the influence’ offences has risen from 3,611 to 5,064, a 40 per cent increase.
Last month a Scottish Police Authority (SPA) report warned that the drug-driving crackdown has l ed to a huge rise in workload for police forensic s ci entists which is ‘ not sustainable’.
The flagship legislation saw police target motorists who are risking lives by getting behind the wheel after taking illicit drugs.
But police forensic experts already dealing with samples from murder and rape scenes say t hey are now being swamped with requests to test blood for illegal substances.
Demand has been ‘considerably higher’ than the forecast 89 cases a month – which is ‘over double the laboratory capacity month after month’.
The legislation sets specific driving limits for 17 specified drugs including cocaine, can
‘Later than was pledged’
nabis, ecstasy and heroin. Police use ‘drugalysers’ to test for drugs at the roadside but this is then backed up by forensic testing of blood samples – a process with a ‘high degree of complexity’.
Tom Nelson, director of forensic services at the SPA, said: ‘Demand for drug-driving toxicology analysis by forensic services has far outstripped the demand originally estimated when the changes to the Road Traffic Act 1988 were enacted in Scotland on October 21, 2019.’
The crime figures do not break down offences for alcohol and drugs. A Scottish Government spokesman said the country now has the toughest approach in the UK to driving ‘under the influence’.