Roadside Drug Testing (VIC)

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.

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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.

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Young drivers admit drugs
From: AAP
February 28, 2006

A QUARTER of Australian men aged under 25 admit to driving under the influence of illicit drugs, a study by a major car insurer has found.

AAMI today released a drug-driving fact sheet, a compilation of drugs-related statistics from the insurer's annual and independent poll of young drivers' attitudes.

"One in four Australian men under 25 admit to driving under the influence of recreational drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, speed or ecstasy," AAMI said.

The release coincided with the announcement today that the Victorian Government would expand its random roadside drug testing powers and make them permanent, following a successful 12-month trial.

Drug-related Statistics from the AAMI Young Driver Index also include:

• ONE in 14 Australian motorists under 25 believe that using a little recreational drugs (such as marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy or speed) doesn't really affect driving ability.
• ONE in 11 drivers think driving after using recreational drugs is safer than driving after drinking.
• YOUNG men are three times more likely than young women to drive under the influence of drugs (25 per cent versus eight per cent).
• MOST people (65 per cent) think recreational drugs pose a much greater danger on our roads than prescription drugs.
• NINETY-two per cent of respondents thought random roadside drug testing was a good idea but 20 per cent felt the results of the testing would be unreliable.

AAMI also said young drivers who admit to using drugs also say they are more likely to drive under the influence of alcohol, run a red light if no cars are coming or use a mobile phone without a hands-free kit.

The AAMI Young Driver Index is an annual survey of 2500 young motorists conducted nationally by independent group Sweeny Research.

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Drug-drive tests 'to stay'
From: AAP
February 28, 2006

THE Victorian Government will introduce laws to expand and extend its crackdown on motorists who use drugs and drive - and hit them with tougher penalties.

State Police Minister Tim Holding announced today the random roadside drug testing powers given to police under a 12-month trial would be made permanent.

He said the list of drugs that can be detected in a motorist's system would be broadened to include ecstasy.

Penalties for drivers caught under the incoming laws would also be "strengthened", Mr Holding said.

The move comes after Victoria's trial of roadside drug testing alarmed authorities by revealing one in every 46 motorists tested positive for illicit drug use.

By comparison, only one in every 250 motorists blows more than .05 on a blood-alcohol breathalyser.

"Many drivers appear to be unaware of the effect illicit drugs can have on their alertness, vigilance and ability to react rapidly to unexpected events," Mr Holding said.

"Let there be no mistake, drug driving is a major contributor to road fatalities in Victoria."

Victoria's 12-month trial of random roadside drug testing took in 13,176 motorists and 287 (one in 46) tested positive to drug agents including THC, the active component in cannabis, or methamphetamine also known as speed.

Drivers who test positive to drug use accompany police into a drug bus to provide two further saliva samples – one to be kept by the driver and the other for further on-the-spot analysis.

If this indicates a positive result, the sample is sent to a laboratory for verification.

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Drug-drive testing to become law
By JESSE HOGAN
February 28, 2006 - 4:33PM

Random roadside drug testing will be made permanent in Victorian because of the high proportion of drug-affected drivers nabbed by police in a 12-month trial.

From July, officers will also be able to test drivers for ecstasy - along with marijuana and methamphetamines - as a result of legislation introduced today by the State Government.

Police Minister Tim Holding said: "We want Victorian motorists to get the message that if they take drugs and they get behind the wheel of a motor vehicle - a car or a truck - they are a danger to themselves and to other road users."

Police tested more than 13,000 drivers in the 12 months to December 12 last year, with 69 of the 287 drivers caught testing positive to marijuana and methamphetamines.

The proportion of drivers that tested positive - one in 46 - was more than five times the average number of drivers caught by booze buses.

Mr Holding said this may be skewed because police targeted rave parties and long-haul truck routes during the trial, but acknowledged the extent of drug-driving may have been underestimated.

"In the past, I think people recognised we had a problem. I don't think anybody realised just how significant the extent of the problem has been," he said.

Victoria Police assistant commissioner of traffic Noel Ashby welcomed the decision to introduce permanent drug testing, and said it would form an important part of police strategy to curb the road toll.

"We have said that drugs are one of the core causes of crashes in this state - fatal and injury collisions - and that they rate drugs alongside alcohol, speed, seatbelts and fatigue as one of the causal factors for crashes," he said.

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One in 50 drivers on drug ecstasy
Peter Mickelburough
01 Mar 2006

SECRET police tests have caught up to 300 motorists driving under the influence of ecstasy.

The shock results have persuaded the Bracks Cabinet to include ecstasy in new roadside drug-drive test laws introduced in State Parliament yesterday.

The new laws will come into force from July 1.

Harsher penalties for drug-drivers, extra drug testing buses and equipment to enable booze buses to also test for drugs are also being considered.

Saliva samples taken from more than 13,000 motorists during a year-long trial of random roadside drug checks for amphetamines and cannabis were also tested for ecstasy.

Up to 300 drivers tested positive for ecstasy – 25 for ecstasy alone and more than 200 for both ecstasy and amphetamines.

The 25 drivers who tested positive to ecstasy alone escaped prosecution as the tests had no legal standing because of uncertainty over the accuracy of saliva testing for ecstasy at the time the trial began.

Drivers who tested positive for ecstasy and amphetamines – often the result of ecstasy being laced with speed – were prosecuted for driving under the influence of amphetamines.

It was revealed yesterday that police checked 13,176 drivers during the world-first trial of random roadside tests, with 287 drivers – one in 46 – testing positive for amphetamines, 19 for cannabis and 69 for both.

Police Minister Tim Holding said roadside drug tests would now be a permanent part of road safety arsenal.

Mr Holding said existing penalties – which are softer than for drink-driving offences – were inadequate and would be toughened to ensure they reflected the seriousness of the offence.

He confirmed improved technology and analysis of the trial results by the Monash University Accident Research Centre had persuaded the Government saliva tests could now be used to check for ecstasy.

"It doesn't matter whether they're attending a rave party, whether they're driving a truck or just a regular car user, we want all Victorians to get the message that, if they take drugs and get behind the wheel of a road vehicle they are a menace to themselves and to other drivers," Mr Holding said.

Under the drug-testing regime, all drivers whose roadside swabs return positive are forced from the road for 24 hours.

A second swab is sent for testing to identity the type of drug before penalties are issued.

A first offence currently incurs a $307 fine and three demerit points; subsequent offences a $1227 fine and up to a six-month loss of licence.

A first drink-driving offence attracts a fine of up to $1200 plus disqualification from driving for at least six months and up to 10 demerit points.

The penalty for subsequent offences include a fine of up to $2500 or up to three months' imprisonment, plus a minimum one-year loss of licence and use of an alcohol interlock device for at least six months.

There is still no reliable way to test for heroin or cocaine in saliva.

In 2003 more than one in three drivers killed on the road had a drug other than alcohol in them.

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mista_200 said:

Mate the ideas shit!!!! i love driving when im off my nuts on pills. And im pretty sure almost everyone drives stoned!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Keep some vinegar in your car so b4 your get tested you can swish it around in your mouth, its a trick truck drivers use ... although it only works for amphetamines!

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mista_200 said:

Mate the ideas shit!!!! i love driving when im off my nuts on pills. And im pretty sure almost everyone drives stoned!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Keep some vinegar in your car so b4 your get tested you can swish it around in your mouth, its a trick truck drivers use ... although it only works for amphetamines!

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psyman said:

and daily cannabis smokers won't get busted either due to their already high amounts of thc in the system..

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Police blitz targets drivers who drink
By John Silvester
April 10, 2006

HABITUAL drink-drivers and motorists who continue to drive after losing their licences will be individually targeted as part of a new road strategy.

Hotels, bars and social clubs that tolerate alcohol abuse resulting in drink-driving will be also be targeted as traffic analysts identify chronic trouble spots.

Rave parties and notorious nightclub areas will be ringed by police equipped to drug test drivers as part of the long-term crackdown, which is to be launched within weeks.

Police will increase the amount of drug-testing equipment available after a disturbing number of drivers tested positive to illegal substances in a pilot program last year.

Figures from 2005 showed that one in 46 people tested positive to cannabis and amphetamines, nearly five times the number who were found to be over the alcohol limit.

More than 13,000 drivers were tested. Police want to test about 20,000 in the next financial year, and even more the following year.

Under the proposal, drivers will be drug and alcohol tested when stopped at designated booze buses.

Police will use newly appointed traffic intelligence officers to analyse trends and identify trouble spots.

"We will be targeting high-risk areas, rather than just carry out bland mass testing," Assistant Commissioner (Traffic) Noel Ashby said yesterday. "The plan is to get those off the road who cause all the damage."

The road toll strategy, drawn up late last year, will concentrate on young motorists.

Inexperienced drivers who appear distracted or lack concentration will be pulled over for a caution or to be charged.

As part of the plan, police will rely less on unmarked patrol cars and return to the strategies of the 1980s, when boldly branded vehicles patrolled highways.

While speed cameras and camera cars will remain, police say the move to present a stronger public presence will show the traffic policy is designed to save lives and not raise revenue.

"Motorists will soon notice an increased number of traffic units out on the roads. It is a proven strategy that modifies driver behaviour," Mr Ashby said.

Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon has said she wants the annual road toll to drop to around 250 — nearly 100 fewer than last year. Earlier this year Ms Nixon told The Age she was committed to a greater police presence on the roads and would merge traffic groups into bigger units for saturation operations. "We think road trauma is a really significant issue and we think we can make a much greater difference than we have," she said.

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beech said:

Interesting to read in one those articles that if a test returned a result of only having ecstasy present then no action was taken. It seems from this that the tests were/are able to differentiate between speed and ecstasy. Obviously most pills contain some speed as well so there wouldn't have been many cases where a ecstasy only reading was obtained. There was a lot of discussion about this in other threads as to whether the tests could differentiate between the 2 and whether the law differentiated between the 2. I guess the answer is yes on both counts. As many were, I was under the impression that MDMA was a type of amphetamine and would therefore result in a positive result and the appropriate penalties applied.


Beech

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