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Tag Archives: drug driving

Garda focus on ‘drug driving’

The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Shane Ross has today (Wednesday) announced the commencement of the drug driving provisions in the Road Traffic Act 2016. One of the key measures in the legislation provides for preliminary drug testing, which will enable gardaí to test motorists whom they suspect of driving under the influence of drugs at the roadside. The new garda powers mean gardaí can now establish roadside checkpoints, mandatory impairment checkpoints (MIT), to test drivers for the presence of both alcohol and drugs. The new drug testing devices (Dräger DrugTest 5000) involve testing a sample of a driver’s saliva for the presence of cannabis, cocaine, opiates (e.g. heroin, morphine) and benzodiazepines (e.g. valium). The new devices will also be available in Garda stations. The MBRS has found that of the 3,020 specimens of blood and urine that it received in 2016, 24% confirmed positive for drugs other than alcohol. Of these, 91% were specimens from male drivers, most …

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Closing loophole on drug driving

New measures to deter and detect driving under the influence of drugs have been announced by Transport Minister, Paschal Donohoe. In revealing the details of the new legislation, the Minister said, “’We have, as a country, come a long way in recent years in the struggle to improve road safety, and especially to combat drunk driving. However, figures for road deaths last year went up for the first time since 2005, and, unfortunately, this year to date, we have seen a further increase in collisions and deaths compared to the same period in 2013. “We must keep up the pressure on a range of fronts to reduce these numbers. Road safety depends on a great many factors, and driving while intoxicated is one of the most serious. As a culture, we have moved away from the casual acceptance of drunk driving which once prevailed. However, we still have some way to go if we aspire to eliminating drunk and drug …

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