Brake calls for zero tolerance of drug driving

The road safety charity Brake has renewed calls for the government to take a zero tolerance approach on drug driving, following a report by an expert panel on drug driving.

The panel was set up by the government last year to investigate technical aspects of its planned new law against driving with drugs in your body, for which Brake has campaigned for more than a decade.

Drug driving is a major cause of road death and injury, estimated to be a factor in 200 deaths every year. Last year the government confirmed it would bring in these changes, but the details of the law are yet to be decided.

The panel's main recommendations are:

• Limits for specified drugs, with lower limits when used in combination with alcohol.
• Blood testing as soon as possible after every crash.
• Improvements to medical information to patients taking prescribed drugs that increase driving risk.
• Educational initiatives aimed at club goers.
• Public awareness campaigns on the risks of driving on drugs and drugs mixed with alcohol.

Julie Townsend, deputy chief executive of Brake, said: “Drug driving has terrible consequences, so it is vital to impose limits that prohibit driving on even very small amounts of illegal drugs whenever it means increased risk. We need to send out the message that drug driving will not be tolerated, full stop."