MP’s legal campaign against drug driving (From Thisisdorset)

MP’s legal campaign against drug driving

10:09am Monday 16th October 2006 in News By Fiona Pendlebury

AN MP is calling on people to get behind his bid to treat drug drivers like drink drivers.

Christchurch MP and former Conservative minister Chris Chope says he became interested in the issue after he read about the death of a Bournemouth University student killed when a driver under the influence of amphetamines smashed into his car head on.

An amendment to the Road Safety Bill moved by Mr Chope was thrown out of the Commons. It would have seen drivers found to have drugs in their system penalised more heavily.

Former transport minister Mr Chope told the Commons that many innocent people are being "killed or seriously injured" as a result of parliament's failure to address the problem.

He said: "We do not tolerate train drivers who have illegal substances in their body when they are driving trains or airline pilots who have illegal substances in their body when they are at the controls of an aircraft.

"Yet the law seems to be much more relaxed about those who take the controls of motor vehicles, some of which are very large lorries."

Mr Chope said that under the proposed legislation anyone driving or attempting to drive while under the influence of illegal drugs would be guilty of an offence.

New technology used in other parts of the world, including Australia, means that drivers suspected of having taken illegal drugs can be tested with "drugalizers" and the results obtained within minutes, said Mr Chope.

"There is technology available from a company in this country. It's a hand-held device that can detect cannabis, ecstasy and cocaine from a swab of saliva.

"It can test for one drug in 90 seconds and for a more complex cocktail in six minutes.

"The law should be changed now that technology allows roadside testing to take place," he added.