Number of Drug-Drivers shoot up in the UK
- More than 1 in 4 drivers failed a roadside drugs test over the Christmas campaigns
- Latest drug-driving stats show a rise of 30% in drug-driving in a year and 75% over two years
- The number of arrests for drug-driving double
- Nine times more chance drivers will fail a drugs test than a breathalyser
- “The message about the risks of drug-driving is not getting through” Matt Taylor, ScreenSafe
Driving whilst under the influence of drugs has shot up in the UK, according to data released last week by ACPO, the Association of Police Chief Officers. Whilst heralding an 8% drop in alcohol-related arrests from the annual Christmas Drink and Drug Driving campaign, few if any reports have focussed on the more significant data that came out on drug-driving in the same release.
More than 1 in 4 drivers were arrested after they failed a Field Impairment Test (FIT), which police use to assess whether a driver is under the influence of drugs.
28% of drivers failed the FIT assessment during December 2013, in comparison to 21% over the same period in 2012, a rise of nearly a third. In 2011 the figure was 16.85%, so that in two years the proportion of drivers failing the FIT has risen 75%.
Chart by ScreenSafe UK, Data from ACPO
Police carried out 513 FITs, arresting 143 people, almost double the 77 arrests in the equivalent period the year before, when 360 FITs were carried out.
In comparison, 3.4% of drivers failed a breath alcohol test, nine times less than the proportion of positive drug-driving FIT assessments.
“These figures show a significant increase in drug-driving tests and arrests in just one year.” Says Matt Taylor, Managing Director of ScreenSafe, one of the UK’s leading providers of drug and alcohol testing services, and partnering the Road Haulage Association in raising awareness about the dangers of drug-driving. “It reflects what many safety organisations have been saying over the last few years, that the message about the risks of drug-driving is just not getting through.”
Last year ScreenSafe joined up with the Road Haulage Association (RHA) to introduce SmartTest and encourage haulage operators and fleet managers to prepare for the new laws in drug driving being implemented this year and the introduction of roadside drug testing devices which will lead to a significant rise in drug-driving testing.
For more information contact PerfectlyPicked at
Tel: +44 (0) 1491 636262
Mob: +44 (0) 77 222 82 946
tellmemore@perfectlypicked.com
Tel: +44 (0) 1491 636262
Mob: +44 (0) 77 222 82 946
tellmemore@perfectlypicked.com
Screen Safe are experts in the provision of drug testing, alcohol tests, DNA testing and blood borne virus testing services in the workplace including maritime, child protection, occupational health and criminal justice sectors. Additionally, we provide bespoke training to ensure that your company gets the best results.
We test for drug and alcohol misuse and blood borne viruses by analysing results from saliva, urine, hair or blood samples.
Tags:
