British Legislation Would Outlaw Drugged Driving
A roadside test would determine whether drivers are under the influence of prescription or illicit drugs.
By Claire_Martin May 16, 2012 7:38AM
Britain is set to join Spain, Australia and Germany in passing legislation to prohibit drivers from getting behind the wheel while impaired by drugs -- an increasingly serious problem in both Europe and the U.S. “Drug drivers are a deadly menace," Mike Penning, the U.K.'s road safety minister, told The Telegraph. "They must be stopped, and that is exactly what I intend to do."The legislation was spurred by the case of a 14-year-old girl who was killed by a drugged-up motorist in south London last year. Her death caught the attention of Prime Minister David Cameron, who, after meeting the girl's parents, expressed regret about the dearth of legislation. "It simply can't be right that a schoolgirl ... can lose her life and then we discover we don't have the laws or the technology to punish drug drivers properly," Cameron said in an interview with the BBC.
Under the new legislation, seemingly impaired drivers would first undergo a roadside breath test for alcohol. Police would then use a roadside saliva test to determine whether they're under the influence of prescription or illicit drugs. The results of this test would give officers the power to arrest drivers, who would undergo more testing at police stations. The station tests would form the basis for legal prosecutions, and offenders would face a minimum of one year's suspension of their driver's license and up to six months' jail time.
The United States lags far behind Europe in terms of drugged-driving laws. There are no federal laws addressing the issue, and only 19 states prohibit the presence of drugs in a driver's system. Without the type of technology the U.K. is developing for roadside saliva tests, identifying drugged drivers has been a challenge.
"Detecting a drug-impaired driver is not easy," according to the Governors Highway Safety Association website. ""There is no national standard equivalent to blood alcohol content (BAC) tests to measure the level of drug impairment. Many states train law enforcement officials to identify drug-impaired driving. However, few have laws that make drug-impaired driving an offense in and of itself."
A zero-tolerance policy would appear to be the most logical approach. Now that testing technology is set to be rolled out in the U.K. by the end of the year, U.S. lawmakers don't have much of an excuse not to jump on the bandwagon.
3Comments
May 16, 2012 9:49AM
We need the laws and the technology to back it up here ASAP! Prosecute them just like we would a drunk driver.......which if you're Obama's Uncle Omar (Onyango Obama), means nothing. Even though Onyango is in this country illegally....he tried to turn the tables on the the police and sue them for an illegal motor vehicle stop without probable cause even though he almost rammed their cruiser while intoxicated!
Then we have Obama's Auntie Zeituni, who is also in this country illegally, mooching off the public welfare system and living in public housing. And we wonder why Obama doesn't want to have that dolt Eric Holder enforce our immigration laws. Two of his family members would have to be deported.
Then we have Obama's Auntie Zeituni, who is also in this country illegally, mooching off the public welfare system and living in public housing. And we wonder why Obama doesn't want to have that dolt Eric Holder enforce our immigration laws. Two of his family members would have to be deported.
May 17, 2012 5:02AM
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