In Ireland, 2,000 blood samples taken from erratic drivers in a week-long crackdown revealed a 50:50 split between those over the alcohol limit and those below the limit or with zero alcohol.

A third of those driving under the alcohol limit had taken one or more drugs, mainly cannabis, while in Dublin the number was even greater - 60% of drivers with no alcohol had taken drugs. The study also showed that one in six drivers over the alcohol limit was also on drugs.

Estimates from the 2010/2011 British Crime Survey (BCS) show that 13.9% of 25 to 29-year-olds had used illicit drugs in the past year, but only 8.7% of people aged between 30 to 34. The biggest offenders were young people, aged between 16 to 24 years. Around one in five young people (20.4%) admitted using illicit drugs in the past year – equating to 1.4 million people.

Roz Cumming, development manager at the Fleet Safety Forum, said: “For the past decade, successive Governments have looked at the issue, and we are still no closer to having a law in place making it illegal to drive with illegal drugs in your system.”

The Forum, part of the road safety charity Brake, recommends that fleets should have policies and procedures in place to ensure drivers are not driving on illegal drugs.

“There’s no need to wait for new laws to be introduced,” explained Cumming. “The safest approach is one of zero tolerance, with drugs testing of drivers, together with appropriate communication and education, to ensure that the policy is adhered to.”

Cannabis is the most widely used drug, followed by cocaine, ecstasy and amphetamines, according to the BCS.

The affects are varied, but they can cause slower reaction times, poor concentration, sleepiness/fatigue, confused thinking, distorted perception and over-confidence.

ACFO chair Julie Jenner said she welcomed any policy being put in place to tackle drug driving. However, she questioned the police’s capacity to detect and stop a driver driving under the influence of drugs.

“Seldom do you see traffic police cruising the motorways or roads and with the threat of further cuts to forces it would seem unlikely we will start to see them re-emerge in any great numbers,” said Jenner.

“Cameras can replace these officers when it comes to purely checking the speed someone is driving at but they can’t detect if someone has been taking drugs.”

But whatever the Government decides to do after its expert panel reports back, fleets have asked that their responsibilities are made clear.

“With any updates to legislation it’s important to know what responsibilities will be placed on organisations to monitor or enforce compliance, explained Rick Young, fleet manager at Wakefield and District Housing.

“We take matters of health and safety very seriously at WDH and our driving at work policy clearly states that driving under the influence of drink or drugs is regarded as gross misconduct which can result in dismissal.

“Certain prescription drugs may affect driving too so our employees are advised to check details of these with their GP before driving.”

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