Motorists in Australia’s Queensland will now be tested to see if they have cocaine in their system, with the drug added to the list of illicit substances that roadside police drug vans are set up to detect.
The state had the countries highest road toll last year, with 299 lives lost.
61 people were killed as a result of crashes that involved a drug driver or rider.
Government data shows an increase in the number of people with cocaine in their system after a serious crash in the state rose from 3.6 per cent between 2018 to 2019 up to 7.1 per cent between 2020 to 2021.
The figures are taken from hospital data.
Acting Assistant Commissioner Chris Stream said there’s been a 30 percent climb in drug driver detections compared to the previous five-year average, and authorities had to act.
“Drivers under the influence of drugs or alcohol exhibit impaired judgement, memory, coordination and reaction time,” he said.
““Choosing to drive when affected by drugs is a decision that has a direct consequence on your life and those around you.”
The move to add cocaine to the list of testable substances comes five years after New South Wales introduced it as a part of its roadside testing regime.
Act. Ass. Comm. Stream said people need to take responsibility for the choices they make when they decide to get behind the wheel.
“Expect to see police anywhere, anytime targeting drivers who are making the wrong choices,” he said.
Queensland’s Roads Minister Mark Baily said one in four drivers currently tested are returning a positive result for drugs.
“It is shocking to think that a quarter of all random drug tests in our state return a positive result, this is unacceptable,” he said.
“If you’re behind the wheel with drugs in your system, you’re not only a danger to yourself but to every other Queenslander and we make no apologies for coming down hard.”
People caught driving with drugs in their system face licence disqualification, fines of up to $2,167 (US$1,447), and jail time for repeat offenders.
