Drug driving a major problem on our roads
Figures from the Road Safety Authority’s (RSA) Annual Academic Lecture, show that 68 per cent of drivers with a positive roadside drug test between April 2017 and July 2019, tested positive for cannabis, writes Trish Whelan . Cocaine follows closely behind as the main illicit drug detected after cannabis with 37 per cent of samples tested being positive for this substance. The Medical Bureau of Road Safety findings also show that cannabis is now not far behind alcohol in blood and urine samples it examined. This annual lecture marks the start of ‘Irish Road Safety Week’, and focused on drug driving. It featured insights on the subject from international and national experts. Minister Shane Ross TD Minister for Transport, Tourism and Spot, Mr Shane Ross TD said: “Driving under the influence of drugs has been a statutory offence since 1961 but it wasn’t until 2017, with the introduction of Preliminary Drug Testing, that we had a drug testing device capab...