hoptis
Bluelight Crew
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Rather than add this to the old thread of 17 pages, I'm starting a new thread as there's a bunch of news articles about this and it signals the end of the Victorian trial and moves to make the drug bus a permanant feature of Victoria's road safety program.
EDIT: Also just for future reference, here are the other drug bus related threads from Aus DD over the last few years.
EDIT: (24/09/2006) Thread renamed for consistency with other roadside drug testing threads.
Vic - Road Side Drug Testing Without 'Drug Bus'
Drug Bus - Currently In Operation
do drug buses test for sleeping pills
Roadside Drug Tests - Twice in 1 week!!!
NEWS: The Age 13 Apr 05: Club-goers drive after drink, drugs
NEWS: The Age 15 Sep 03: Random driver drug tests are on the way (Latest guess Dec 1) (9 pages)
From Herald Sun
Section: NEWS
Edition 1 - Tuesday 28 FEB 2006, Page 014
EDIT: Also just for future reference, here are the other drug bus related threads from Aus DD over the last few years.
EDIT: (24/09/2006) Thread renamed for consistency with other roadside drug testing threads.
Vic - Road Side Drug Testing Without 'Drug Bus'
Drug Bus - Currently In Operation
do drug buses test for sleeping pills
Roadside Drug Tests - Twice in 1 week!!!
NEWS: The Age 13 Apr 05: Club-goers drive after drink, drugs
NEWS: The Age 15 Sep 03: Random driver drug tests are on the way (Latest guess Dec 1) (9 pages)
Police urge more drug-driver buses
Mark Buttler
28 Feb 2006
POLICE want every booze bus eventually equipped to test for drugs after high levels of breaches in the first year of random testing.
One in 40 car drivers tested positive to detectable drugs in the first 12 months of random roadside drug testing of motorists.
Official police figures for the period also show one in 69 truck drivers were nabbed with drugs in their system.
The overall rate of one driver out of 46 people testing positive to cannabis and amphetamines was almost five times the statewide rate for drink-drivers.
Some drugs, such as cocaine, heroin and ecstasy, cannot be detected in testing, meaning the rate of drug-driving could be even higher.
Analysis of 13,176 motorists tested showed:
AMPHETAMINES were detected in 199.
NINETEEN tested positive to cannabis.
BOTH drugs were detected in 69 cases.
TWELVE drivers refused to provide saliva samples.
Assistant Commissioner (traffic) Noel Ashby said he was not surprised at the results.
Mr Ashby said police had already suspected there was a major problem with drug-driving and had singled out areas they knew were high-risk.
He said police had been talking with the State Government about making every booze bus capable of checking for drug-drivers.
Mr Ashby said it was also hoped testing technology could be expanded to snare drivers on drugs such as cocaine, heroin and ecstasy.
He said the motoring public had been very understanding of roadside drug-testing, which takes longer than booze bus examinations.
Police Minister Tim Holding said the trial had been both successful and worrying.
"It shows that more work needs to be done to ensure the message gets through," he said.
Drivers who test positive for cannabis and amphetamines face $307 fines and three demerit points.
The State Government is considering automatic licence loss for drivers caught under the influence of illicit drugs.
From Herald Sun
Killer on the roads
By Mark Buttler
HARD-WORKING Geoff Bourke was another blameless victim of the state's drug driving scourge.
Mr Bourke, 27, had just finished a night out in Warragul and was waiting for a taxi home to Drouin when a woman he knew offered him a lift.
Knowing it could take hours to get a cab after midnight, he and a mate climbed in.
Within hours, the woman had crashed the car and Mr Bourke was dead.
A blood sample from the driver returned an alcohol reading and contained indications of morphine, benzodiazepines, amphetamine, cannabis and a sedative.
She was later jailed after being convicted of culpable driving, negligently causing serious injury, dangerous driving, unlicensed driving and exceeding 0 per cent blood-alcohol.
Geoff's brother, Brendan, 33, said the pain still lingered three years later.
He urged drivers not to take drugs then drive.
"They've got no regard for safety. They think they're fine,'' he said.
Section: NEWS
Edition 1 - Tuesday 28 FEB 2006, Page 014
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