Roadside Drug Testing (NSW)

[chugs]

i agree with many of the posts about how wrong it is to have a law like this but no clear guideline as to how sensitive the drug testers are...

however i don't think there is much point whinging about it.

This new drug testing system has nothing to do with lowering the death toll from people under the influence.

Its about control, its about the politicians having a new play in the game of football over drugs & crime. Its about the cops getting easy convictions.

Seriously how much work do they have to do - nothing. they swab, something changes colour - bam its in the bag.

anyway if you get drug tested and you test positive i'd say its time to buy a lotto ticket - the chances you hit that Winnebago are on par with winning lottery.

 

[lil angel15]

More drivers test for drugs than drink
Ben Cubby
May 16, 2007

ALMOST three times as many NSW drivers have tested positive to illegal drugs as those caught with alcohol in their systems, a new police random drug testing unit has found.

Of the 1600 drivers stopped and given a swab test by the unit since it was established in January, one in 46 were discovered to have taken illegal drugs.

In some areas, one in eight long haul truck drivers tested were caught using illegal drugs, chiefly amphetamines.

By comparison, random breath testing catches one driver in 130 for driving over their alcohol limit.

The program's success comes despite delays in setting up the testing unit, which has been criticised by the NSW Opposition for being under-resourced, and carrying out only 15 tests a week in its early days.

Police admit the numbers may be distorted because the drug unit - consisting of a single unmarked van staffed by eight officers - targeted truck routes and entertainment districts where they expected to find a high proportion of drug users on the road.

Superintendent John Hartley, the traffic services commander, said the drug unit's high strike rate was explained in part by the locations where testing took place, based on intelligence from local area commands.

"The fact is we are targeting areas where we know people are [taking drugs] so it might be distorted by that," Superintendent Hartley told Channel Ten.

"We are targeting drivers that might make the road unsafe and who might kill."

After amphetamines such as speed - favoured by some truck drivers to keep them awake - ecstasy and cannabis were popular among drivers.

The tests take the form of a mouth swab, which is processed on site in the police van, taking about five minutes.

If it shows a positive result, a second test is taken inside the vehicle. If necessary police can detain drivers and order them to undergo a blood test in a hospital.

A police spokesman said two more random drug testing units are under construction and would be rolled out later this year, and more standard patrol cars would be fitted with testing kits within 18 months.

In 2006, before the testing van came online, 970 NSW drivers tested positive for drugs, but that figure is expected to rise markedly with the advent of the new unit.

Random breath testing for alcohol was introduced in 1982. Since then, fatal crashes involving alcohol have dropped from 40 per cent of all fatalities to 19 per cent.

Last year, 3.4 million random breath tests were carried out in NSW. "These results, over four months of testing, show that our roadside drug testing laws are working," the NSW Police Minister, David Campbell, said.

Brisbane Times

 

[Fry-d-]

"The fact is we are targeting areas where we know people are [taking drugs] so it might be distorted by that," Superintendent Hartley told Channel Ten.

That says it all really.

 

[lil angel15]

Minister happy with roadside drug testing investment
Friday, 18 May 2007. 12:48 (AEST)

Police Minister David Campbell says roadside drug testing trials on the north coast show the new technology is working.

Eighty-five tests were conducted in the Byron-Tweed area in April, with three positive results, and of 100 drivers tested in the Lismore area over the Nimbin Mardi Grass weekend, five were positive.

Mr Campbell says a total of 1,600 drivers were tested across the state, with 46 found to be under the influence of illegal drugs.

He says that despite the low level of positives, the effort justifies the investment and manpower put into the project.

"The Government is satisfied with the fact that it's invested in the technology, trained up police officers and purchased the equipment to allow them to undertake these random drug tests," he said.

ABC Online

 

[lil angel15]

Drug-driving tests a ‘marvellous success’, say local police
By HELEN JACK
19.05.2007

POLICE on Nimbin Road conduct drug searches.

THEY might have only caught a few people but police say their new drug bus is a marvellous success.

The drivers they caught allegedly under the influence probably won’t agree.

During April police tested 85 drivers in the Tweed-Byron area and found three of them had drugs in their system. During the MardiGrass they tested another 100 people and caught five more.

Around the state 1600 drivers have been tested and one in 46 were busted.

Eight out of 185 and 34 from 1600 might not seem like a lot but NSW Police Minister David Campbell says the program is justified.

Richmond Local Area Command Superintendent Bruce Lyons said he was encouraged the new roadside drug testing unit.

“It means people are getting the message and to police that’s good news,” he said.
“Driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol is dangerous anywhere, especially in country areas where people don’t know the roads.”

Police are further encouraged because the number of drivers busted for driving while drugged is three times the number caught with alcohol in their blood.

Traffic service commander Superintendent John Hartley has admitted the number of drivers found under the influence of drugs was distorted because police targeted events or locations where drug use was expected like MardiGrass.

The roadside drug test consists of a mouth swab which is processed on site in a purpose-built unmarked police van and takes only five minutes to return a result.

If a driver delivers a positive result, a second test is taken. If that one is positive the driver is arrested and ordered to undergo a blood test at hospital. If that test comes back positive, the law comes down on them. For a first offence the driver will face a fine of $1100 and lose their licence.

Northern Star

 

[yellowfrog]

I agree it's a political stunt but I really don't think it's a bad thing if they are catching speeding truckies driving petrol tankers. Any substance that alters your perception is going to impair your driving so why not just get a taxi/stay the night if you're planning a big night? If you do it for alcohol why not for other drugs too? If you don't do it, you're not going to get busted. As long as the test is only positive for say 10 hours after taking the drug I don't see what the fuss is about.

 

[Nevr_Mined]

Those doggies are cute. Everything's a political stunt. The cops and the law are only there to get the government in office and they only want to be in office to get the superannuation benefits. So who cares. It doesn't matter. If you get busted drug-driving or drink-driving it doesn't matter, you cop it on the chin and pay a fine. Big deal, the dogs are still cute and you get to walk to your next dance party. Happy days.

 

[PsiloSubNaut]

Why don't they test for cocaine?

Scared they're gunna bust to many of thier own?

The whole things a joke

 

[Splatt]

Probably out of the system too quick or their aren't ways to do it.
They could be doing opiates though?

 

[IWoody]

Apparently they have an acid test....
















it's a collection of wacky childerens toys

 

[Prince Planet]

^^ I think that if you have had over the counter medication ie. anything with codiene in it it will show up positive for opiates. Although if they suspect you look like you're impaired they can take you for a blood test at the nearest hospital.

 

[phase_dancer]

Why don't they test for cocaine?

Probably because the level of use of cocaine in Australia hasn't been considered high enough to warrant testing. Of course, that may change in future.

The tests used (Drugwipe) are available as either single, double or multi (5) drug tests.

 

[Phonic]

All up 25 tests were conducted with no consistent results.

What was th elongest time after consumption someone was testing positive for? Would be interesting to know if people tested positive for cannabis more then 8 hours after consumption.

 

[Prince Planet]

One guy tested positive 6 hours after his morning smoke. Interestingly two days before this he was tested after his morning smoke and came back negative after 1 hour. He had the same routine on both days, same morning cup of tea, same cannabis and on a subjective scale of how he was travelling there was no difference between both sessions. Go figure?

The individual conducting the test was well versed on the risks associated with contaminating the tests and both were conducted under strict conditions. Across all of the 25 tests there were some glaring discrepancies.

At $40 a test it became a very expensive exercise. They are still hoping to explore your question and see how long after smoking a positive result will appear. The problem is, based on the other results no consistent time frame could be recommended as the science is at best, suspect.

 

[Prince Planet]

I would like to state also that the 25 tests were conducted in the spirit of harm reduction. The goal was to ascertain a good measure of recommendation like with the blood alcohol level of .05 as a threshhold of impairment. For example if you had x amount of cannabis it would be safe to drive after y period of time. The tests were run in conjunction with a subjective scale of impairment that the participants rated themselves upon. The group are currently exploring using an impairment test to run in conjunction with the drugwipes.

 

[lil angel15]

Thanks for the responses Prince Planet

It would be fantastic if you could keep us updated in regards to the progress of these tests.

 

[lil angel15]

NSW govt to up drug driving deterrence
December 31, 2007 - 4:44PM

The NSW government has defended its efforts to curb drugged driving after a survey found an alarming number of young people admitted to the practice.

The National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre survey found 73 per cent of young people at nightclubs admitted to being passengers in a car while knowing the driver was under the influence of ecstasy, ice, cocaine or cannabis, at some stage.

Almost 40 per cent of respondents admitted they took ecstasy before driving and 30 per cent admitted they had driven after taking methamphetamine.

Nearly one in five drove after taking cocaine and a similar number drove after taking ice.

Opposition Leader Barry O'Farrell has accused Labor of failing to provide police with enough drug buses to conduct random roadside testing.

The state government commissioned a drug testing bus in January and plans to have two more on the road early in the new year.

But Mr O'Farrell said even then NSW would be lagging behind Victoria.

"We will only have three [drug buses] when Victoria has eight, despite the fact NSW's population is 25 per cent greater," Mr O'Farrell told reporters in Sydney.

"The state government needs to get serious about this issue."

Police Minister David Campbell said the government was committed to tackling the problem, while conceding that "Victoria started this process before NSW".

"We've watched closely and learnt from the Victorian experience," Mr Campbell said.

The minister said existing mobile drug testing methods and technology was "quite cumbersome" and the government would more readily deploy it as technology "evolved".

Premier Morris Iemma said the survey also found that 46 per cent of drug drivers would change their behaviour if they thought they could be pulled over and tested.

"The survey has highlighted a change in attitude as we saw with ... random breath testing," Mr Iemma told reporters.

"It changed culture and it changed attitudes and this one [random drug testing] will as well."

SMH

 

[lil angel15]

Drug drivers 'need education campaign'
By Simon Lauder
Dec 31, 2007 11:19am AEDT

As the New South Wales Government prepares for further rollouts of roadside testing for illegal drugs, calls are being made for an education campaign similar to the one about the dangers of drink-driving.

In a recent survey of 419 young people in Sydney nightclubs by the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, around 40 per cent said they had taken ecstasy before driving.

Thirty per cent had taken amphetamines before taking the wheel, while 72 per cent had been a passenger in a car with a drug-affected driver.

Researcher Paul Dillon says it is obviously a bad idea to drive under the influence of mind-altering drugs, but some drug users are not convinced it is as dangerous as drink-driving, because there is not as much evidence.

"It appeared that there was little knowledge, or little understanding, of the dangers associated with getting behind the wheel of a car with a range of illicit drugs, including ecstasy," he said.

"I suppose our great problem is that for alcohol the information around drinking and driving is quite clear. When it comes to other drugs, the evidence is not so clear-cut."

"I think the evidence we have still says [driving under the influence of drugs] is not a good idea.

"The whole idea of using any drug is to alter your perception, to make you feel a different way, and to change where you're at. The one place you don't want to change where you're at is behind the wheel of a car."

The results of the New South Wales Government-commissioned study have been released as the Police Minister announces a rollout of two more police trucks for roadside drug testing.

Mr Dillon says he has not heard of any plans for an accompanying education campaign that informs the public of the risks of driving while high.

"It really is extremely important that we combine the rollout with an education campaign that really gives better quality information to this culture, about the very real risks that they're taking part in," he said.

Of more than 5,500 drivers tested for illicit drugs in New South Wales this year, 156 returned a positive result.

New South Wales Police Minister David Campbell says that justifies extra resources for roadside tests, but he is not committing to a public awareness campaign.

"It is clear that people driving with these drugs in their system are causing part of the road toll, and that's why the Government has given the police the powers and the equipment to begin to do something about it," he said.

When asked why there is not an awareness campaign about illicit drug usage similar to the one for drink driving, Mr Campbell said the New South Wales Government had begun to address the issue by commissioning a study into drug use and risk among nightclubers.

ABC Online

 

[kyon]

Perhaps even more alarmingly, nearly 4 in 5 admitted to taking caffeine before driving.

 

[lil angel15]

Battling drugs or making money?
By Clare Masters and Edith Bevin
January 23, 2008

THE State Government is trumpeting its two new drug-testing Winnebagos as a breakthrough in its battle against drug-driving.

The move was last night condemned as a revenue-raising exercise rather than a genuine attempt to clean up drug use on Sydney's roads.

Drug educators say the new vans will be used to catch drug-taking drivers rather than stamp out drug-driving in the same way random breath testing has changed Sydney's drink-driving culture.

There is disquiet within in government ranks over the strategy, which is being run by Police Minister David Campbell.

"It comes back to the same question about speed cameras, are you trying to prevent behaviour from occurring or is it just a money- making PR exercise?" a source close to the program said.

The source told The Daily Telegraph educators had lobbied the Government to run an education campaign but the idea had been knocked back in favour of implementing a "numbers game".

Police will use the vans to mark out specific areas and events including routes and times favoured by the heavy vehicle industry as well as occasions such as music festivals.

Mr Campbell said targeting operations was "smart policing."

Since the introduction of random drug testing of drivers in NSW, 6860 drivers have been tested with 171 of them confirmed positive to driving with an illegal drug in their system.

Premier Morris Iemma said he was "concerned" about the drug driving "hit rate" of about one in 40 - compared to one in 130 for random breath testing for drunk driving.

Paul Dillon, of Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia, said drink-driving campaigns had been "phenomenally" successful with crash data showing a 36 per cent decrease in alcohol-related fatalities over a four year period in NSW following their introduction in the late seventies.

"If you want to stop people you put out public health messages getting them to realise the risks," he said.

"The RBT (random breath testing) is not just simply about mobile vans - it came with an extensive campaign which educated the Australian public about the risks associated with drinking and driving.

"It would be great to see a similar campaign for drugs and driving.

"A credible education message has to be developed appropriately."

news.com.au