Drivers high on ice, marijuana and cocaine now kill more people than drunks behind the wheel
- Drivers high on drugs are killing more people than drunks behind the wheel
- Australian motorists with drugs in their system killed 69 people last year
- Thousands of people have been caught in roadside testing in the past year
Drivers high on drugs are killing more people than drunks behind the wheel with statistics revealing drug-users are being increasingly caught out.
Australian motorists with cocaine, marijuana and ice in their system are wreaking havoc on the roads, killing 69 people last year compared to 64 fatal crashes as a result of drunk drivers.
Thousands of people have been caught in roadside testing as NSW Police are planning to ramp up mobile drug tests.
Drivers high on drugs are killing more people than drunks behind the wheel with statistics revealing drug-users are being increasingly caught out (Bianca Harrington crash after smoking five bongs pictured)
Australian motorists with cocaine, marijuana and ice in their system are wreaking havoc on the roads (Mobile Drug Test pictured)
The worst offenders are ice users with 5,888 people caught in NSW last year and 2,675 testing positive in the first six months of this year, the Daily Telegraph reported.
Almost 2,000 people were caught with marijuana in their system in the first half of the year, with 4,820 found driving while high last year.
While there are more ice users on the road than any other drug users, cannabis smokers were found to have caused the most fatalities.
Marijuana users were responsible for 42 fatal crashes in 2018 and caused 119 traffic incidents.
The number of drivers undergoing roadside drug tests are on the rise every year, with NSW Police set to conduct 200,000 tests in 2020.
Mobile Drug Testing involves drivers doing a saliva test, which is then sent away to forensic labs with the NSW Health Pathology if traces of drugs are found.
While cocaine tests were only introduced midway through last year, NSW Police Force internal data obtained under Freedom of Information laws shows it is becoming increasingly common.
Thousands of people have been caught in roadside testing as NSW Police are planning to ramp up mobile drug tests (Shania McNeill crashed into a Nissan Micra with traces of MDMA in her system, her car pictured)
Cocaine was detected in five drivers involved in fatal crashes and 15 people behind the wheel in other traffic incidents in 2018.
In just three months after cocaine tests were implemented, 110 drivers were caught with the drug in their system.
Between May and July this year that figure had almost tripled with 304 people found to be driving under the influence of cocaine.
Ice-impaired drivers were responsible for 28 fatal crashes and 119 non-fatal incidents.
Centre For Road Safety executive director Bernard Carlon said those who drive with drugs in their system put their own lives and the lives of others at risk.
‘Final fatal crash data shows that over the nine years from 2010 to 2018 there were a total of 2997 fatal crashes of which 499 (17 per cent) were found to have had at least one driver or rider with an illicit drug in their system,’ he said.
The number of drivers undergoing roadside drug tests are on the rise every year, with NSW Police set to conduct 200,000 tests in 2020