Lamont urges roadside drug testing

John Lamont MSP, Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Justice, has urged the Scottish Government to step up its bid to introduce roadside drug testing, after over three years of waiting.

The UK Government has said it is likely to introduce this measure in 2012.

John Lamont MSP said:

"There has been a very significant change in public attitudes towards drink driving over the last 20 years. We now need urgent action over the number of people who drive whilst impaired through drugs, especially over the festive period.

"The existing system for dealing with drug drivers is laborious, involving road side tests where the suspect is asked to walk in a straight line and do mental arithmetic. If it results in an arrest, the Police vehicle is off the road whilst the Police surgeon is summoned and this can take 2 hours.

"Since December 2006, we have been harrying governments at Westminster and Holyrood to introduce such a scheme in the UK. I am delighted that the UK Minister for Road Safety has recently said that „drugalysers‟ will be in effect by 2012 – it is now up to the Scottish Government to tell us when it plans a similar measure to be in place north of the border as well.

"The very use of these 'drugalysers' will itself be a deterrent to drug users."

The UK Government has recently confirmed it is likely to be using drugalysers by 2012

http://www.rac.co.uk/news-advice/motoring-news/post/2010/12/drink-drive-campaign-aimed-at-youth/

Back to all posts