How drugs affect driving
Why taking a trip on the road could prove fatal.
The effects of alcohol on driving ability, and how the law treats motorists under the influence of a few bevvies are well-known. But what's the deal for drivers on drugs?
The high road to hospital (or worse)
Research shows that almost a quarter (22%) of those killed in road traffic accidents (RTAs) in the UK have illegal drugs in their bloodstream, and that there's an increasing number of RTAs where the presence of drugs in a driver's body may have been a contributory factor to the cause of the crash. Drug driving is most common among 20 to 24 year-olds, with clubbers being the most likely to take control of a car in a chemically altered state. In a survey by the Scottish Executive's Road Safety Campaign, 81% of clubbers had driven after recreational drug use, with many believing that cannabis had little or no impact on their driving skills, and some thinking that amphetamine use actually improved their driving skills. Unfortunately, ignorance is far from bliss when it comes to getting behind the wheel while under the influence.
How drugs really affect your driving
If you think drug-taking has little, or even a positive, impact on your driving you could be tragically mistaken. It's important to bear in mind that it can be hard to determine exactly how a drug will affect your driving ability - impairment caused by drugs can vary according to the individual, drug type, dosage, the length of time the drugs stays in your body, or if the drug has been taken with other drugs or alcohol.
Cannabis
Some people think that cannabis is a 'safer substitute' to drinking, but it can cause concentration to wander, which can affect reaction times. It can also cause paranoia, drowsiness, distorted perception and a sense of disorientation - all of which could cause you to lose control at the wheel.
Cannabis is the most commonly traced drug in drivers, with over 800,000 drivers travelling under the influence of it every year in the UK. Even though the effects fade after a matter of hours, it can be detected in the blood for up to four weeks. In theory, this can compromise the driver if they're tested positive, even if their driving wasn't adversely affected at the time.
In a study by the Transport Research Laboratory, people who drove a car at 66 miles per hour had a stopping distance of around 270ft, but after smoking a joint this increased on average by 15% to 310ft. In a slalom test, those who had just smoked a joint knocked over 30% more cones.
Some experts claim that smoking a cannabis joint has roughly a similar level of impairment on driving ability as drinking four pints of beer. Also, reports show that in the majority of fatal RTAs where cannabis has been detected in a driver's body, alcohol has also been detected. Alcohol alone or in combination with cannabis increases impairment, accident rate and accident responsibility (the same can be applied to other drugs, too).
Cocaine
This is a psycho-stimulant that can lead to misjudging driving speed and stopping distances. It can also cause a distorted sense of light and sound and a feeling of overconfidence, which can lead to aggressive and erratic driving. While it can make you feel alert at first, the effects wear off quickly, leading to an increased danger of falling asleep at the wheel.
Drug driving is considered as serious an offence as drink driving, and carries the same penalties
Ecstasy
A stimulant drug with hallucinogenic properties, ecstasy can distort your sense of vision and heighten sense of sound. Your concentration can be affected, while you may become over-confident and more likely to take dangerous risks.
Ketamine, LSD and magic mushrooms
Drugs such as these with hallucinogenic properties can strongly influence the senses, so drivers may react to objects or sounds that aren't there, and place themselves and other road users in danger. Coordination skills are likely to be greatly affected, and you may experience anxiety, blurred vision and a sense of detachment from reality - all of which could be deadly on the road.
Speed (amphetamine)
While amphetamines might give you a sense of heightened alertness and confidence, they can be highly dangerous for drivers as they distort your perceptions and can make you feel anxious, prone to panic attacks and lose coordination.
While amphetamines might give you a sense of heightened alertness and confidence, they can be highly dangerous for drivers as they distort your perceptions and can make you feel anxious, prone to panic attacks and lose coordination.
Prescription medication
Antihistamines (often used in flu and hayfever remedies) and tranquillisers (used to treat anxiety, depression and sleeping disorders) may significantly affect reaction times and cause drowsiness. If the label advises against 'operating heavy machinery', consider it a warning not to get behind the wheel of a vehicle. If in doubt, consult your doctor (GP).
The law
Many people lack knowledge when it comes to where drug driving stands with the law. In fact, drug driving is considered as serious an offence as drink driving, and carries the same penalties - a minimum one-year driving ban and a fine of up to £5,000 or up to six months in jail. Even so, you're twice as likely to be driven by someone with drugs in their system than be over the limit with alcohol.
Police can carry out roadside tests to judge whether you're unfit to drive due to drug intake, but they can't test for the presence of drugs in your body and nor do they make a distinction between the consumption of legal or illegal drugs. Refusal to participate in the tests is an offence in the same way as failure to provide a breath test under suspicion of drink driving.
If a police officer deems you unfit to drive, you'll be arrested and taken to the police station for further investigation. Here, you may be tested for the presence of drugs through a biological test (for example, by testing a sample of your blood or urine). The police don't have to wait for you to sober up or resume consciousness in order to do this. A doctor can also carry out a blood test to see if you've been incapacitated due to medical reasons, such as illness or intake of prescribed medicine.
Remember, possession of illegal drugs is an offence - you'll be landed with a heavy penalty (including a fine and/or prison sentence) for possession or intent to supply. Also, if you think someone's on drugs, don't let them drive you. Instead, nominate a sober driver or find another way to travel.
