Roadside impairment tests for drug driving to be introduced
The Medical Bureau of Road Safety has today (Wednesday) published the Report on Roadside Drug Testing, Equipment and Related Matters.
The director of the Medical Bureau of Road Safety (MBRS) Professor Denis Cusack said the report provides a detailed analysis of all aspects of roadside drug testing. According to the MBRS and the Gardaí, and other experts in this area, the incidence of drug driving in this country is increasing on a year
-on-year basis.On foot of the report, the Department of Transport
,Tourism and Sport has announced that the Road Traffic Bill which is currently being drafted will provide for roadside impairment testing for drug use by motorists, while detailed research will now be conducted into finding an appropriate drug testing device for use in Ireland.Professor Cusack said these tests will include cognitive tests such as walking in a straight line, tipping one’s nose, or counting while standing on one leg. These new provisions, which are scientifically quantifiable, will assist Gardaí in forming the opinion that a driver is impaired due to drug intoxicants. To date, more than 3,000 Gardaí have been trained in the use of these impairment tests.
"Unlike alcohol, there is no legal limit for drugs. Under current road traffic law, the Gardaí must be satisfied that a driver is under the influence to such an extent as to be incapable of having proper control of a vehicle. This means that the Garda has to prove driver impairment to the satisfaction of the Court and this can cause difficulties in successfully prosecuting such offences," Professor Cusack said.
The new Road Traffic Bill currently being drafted will address this anomaly.
The MBRS was asked by Minister Varadkar earlier this year to undertake a detailed study on all aspects of roadside drug testing, including analysis of any equipment currently in use for carrying out such tests, and an indication of the likely timescale involved in reaching an acceptable solution to the problem.
One of the main objectives in having the study carried out by the Bureau was to determine if any devices existed, similar to breathalysers, that can assist the Gardaí in detecting and measuring the presence of drugs in a driver’s system. A review of international practice in the area of roadside and confirmatory drug testing was also a major part of the study.
Minister Varadkar has welcomed the report’s publication and confirmed that the MBRS, the Department of Transport, Tourism & Sport and the Gardaí, together with other bodies, are now addressing the scientific, operational, legislative, resource and cost issues associated with the introduction of such devices in an Irish context, with the aim of finding a suitable device as quickly as possible.
"While research in the area is continuing, oral fluid is emerging as the specimen of choice for use in roadside chemical drug testing devices. Indeed, the advancement of oral fluid testing devices since 2004 is encouraging. While there is now the potential for a suitable roadside device to be used for the testing of a number of commonly used drugs, there is still no device available for the testing of all drugs," Professor Cusack said.