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Merseyside Police are
continuing to warn motorists of the dangers of driving while under the
influence of drugs
ON 2 March 2015 the drug driving
law changed. It is now an offence to drive with certain drugs above a
specified level in your blood; just as it is with drink driving. 17 legal
and illegal drugs are covered by the law, including:- cannabis, cocaine,
ecstasy and ketamine. The limits for all illegal drugs are extremely low and
taking even a very small amount of an illegal drug could put you over the
limit.
During 2015 there were 325 drug drive arrests in Merseyside compared to just
110 in 2014; 66 of the drug drive arrests were in December 2015. Drugs were
detected in 98% of the samples submitted to the forensic labs in 2015 and a
total of 73% of drivers were prosecuted.
The penalties for drug driving are the same as for drink driving. If you are
convicted you will receive a minimum 12 month driving ban; a criminal record
and a hefty fine or up to 6 months in prison or both.
Sergeant Paul Mountford from Merseyside Police's Roads Policing Unit, said:-
"In the same way that drink driving can affect you, driving while under the
influence of drugs is extremely dangerous and can affect your driving skills
in a number of ways. You don't have to be on illegal drugs to be impaired to
drive; prescription or over the counter medicines can also impair your
ability to drive. If you're taking medicines, talk to your doctor,
pharmacist or healthcare professional before driving. Our advice would be;
do not drive if you feel drowsy, dizzy, unable to concentrate or make
decisions, or if you have blurred or double vision and do not accept a lift
from a driver you know has taken drugs."
You can watch a video now of Sgt Mountford talking about the issue of drug
driving on
YouTube.
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