Motoring: Police to weed out drug-drivers

Motorists who get behind the wheel after smoking cannabis could be a greater potential danger than drunk drivers, the RAC warned yesterday.

Cannabis is regularly smoked by about 10 per cent of the driving population, the motoring organisation said. Yet driving after using it does not carry the same social stigma as drinking and driving, the RAC added.

The drug slows down reaction times and reduces concentration but the police have no way of testing at the roadside for its use.

The RAC is now proposing a three-pronged strategy for dealing with drug driving: ascertain the true extent and danger of drug driving; run information campaigns warning drivers of the dangers and tragic consequences of drug use and driving; develop a roadside tester, similar to the breathalyser, and improve training for police officers to spot the symptoms of drug use.