Roadside drug test for cocaine and cannabis given go-ahead
Home Office scientists give backing to new device which can test drivers for drugs within minutes
Home Office scientists give backing to new device which can test drivers for drugs within minutes
Police officers will be able to test drivers for drugs on the roadside for the first time after the Home Office approved the first mobile testing device.
The "Drugwipe" device can test for cocaine and cannabis from a saliva sample within as little as three minutes.
It will allow traffic officers to test drivers on the roadside rather than taking them into a police station - meaning the number of tests and the number of convictions is likely to soar as the device is adopted by forces.
Mike Penning, the police minister, said chief constables would now be able to roll out the Securetec DrugWipe 3S device after the technology was approved by Home Office scientists.
“Drug drivers are a deadly menace and must be stopped," said Mr Penning.
“Those who get behind the wheel while under the influence of drugs not only put their own lives at risk, but also those of innocent pedestrians, motorists and their passengers.
“That is why I’m delighted to announce that I have type approved the first mobile drug testing device for use by the police.
“This device is a big step towards bringing more drug driving criminals to justice.”
The Drugwipe device can at this stage test for cocaine and cannabis, which a Home Office spokesman said were the most common substances abused by drug drivers.
The manufacturers also produce a device which can test for other drugs including heroin, amphetamine and ecstasy, but this version has not yet won Home Office backing.
A saliva test produces results in between three and eight minutes, according to the manufacturer.
A positive test is indictated by the appearance of red lines on the device, similar to a pregnancy test.
If the test gives a positive reading officers will take the motorist to a police station for a blood test, which will be used in any prosecution.
The Home Office estimates as many as 200 people a year are killed by drivers impaired by drugs.
A new drug driving offence comes into force in March which will introduce a penalty of up to six months' imprisonment, 12 months' diisqualification and a fine up to £5,000.
It sets limits at very low levels for eight illegal drugs - cannabis, cocaine, ecstasy, ketamine, heroin, lysergic acid diethylamide, methylamphetamine and MDMA.
Under existing measures anyone suspected of driving under the influence of drugs has to undergo a "field impairment test" by the roadside.
The test entails an officer asking the driver to carry out an array of co-ordination tests, such as standing on one leg.
A motorist who fails is then take to the police station where a blood sample is taken which, if positive, is used as evidence in court.
In 2009-10 police carried out 223,423 breathalyser tests for alcohol but just 489 field impairment tests.
The advent of new equipment to allow quicker and easier drug testing at the roadside is expected to lead to a significant rise in the number of tests carried out.
Results are also likely to give for the first time a more accurate picture of the extent of drug driving.
Professor Stephen Glaister, director of road safety group the RAC Foundation, said: "Drug driving is a significant safety problem that in the past may have been attributed to alcohol.
"It's very good news that the police now have at the roadside a reliable way of distinguishing between drugs and alcohol so that they can take appropriate enforcement action."
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