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Drugged drivers the target of TAC's shock campaign
Thomas Hunter
July 14, 2009 - 12:08PM
Cannabis-affected drivers are the target of the Transport Accident Commission's latest road toll "shock campaign".
Launching the campaign this morning, Premier John Brumby said the advertisements focused on recreational cannabis users who put themselves and others at risk.
"We're getting an increasing number of people who are driving under the influence of illegal drugs," Mr Brumby told Fairfax Radio. "One in 65 people who are being randomly tested have either cannabis or stimulants in their system."
"Of last year's road fatalities, which were just over 300 people, more than 20 per cent of the people who were killed on our roads had illegal drugs in their system, cannabis and or stimulants. So this is becoming an increasing problem."
My Brumby said the advertisements, which will be appear on radio, television, in print and online, and which target recreational users in their 30s and 40s, have "a simple message - if you drive on drugs, you're out of your mind."
He described the advertisements as powerful, noting they were the first new shock ads from the TAC in over five years.
"We've still got a major issue with alcohol and with drugs," Mr Brumby said.
"So many people, the evidence shows, think that having a puff on a joint or using amphetamines doesn't really impair road judgement. The evidence shows some people think it improves road judgement.
"The research is absolutely contrary to that and we've got to get the message out. Their driving is erratic. The stop at lights for longer than they should. They just sit there in the traffic. They make errors in where they park their car. They make errors at the speed at which they travel.
"That makes our roads much less safe than they should be and we're going to be relentless in this and in driving that road toll down."
The campaign starts tonight and will run for three weeks.
The Age
Watch the ad here
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