More than half of drivers have failed a major roadside test which has prompted huge concerns into how safe UK roads have become.
It comes after alarming figures revealed that nearly 50 per cent of drivers failed a drug driving test conducted by police last year.
The report has now prompted calls for urgent action to address a "growing epidemic" on UK roads which risks impacting the lives of both drivers and pedestrians.
Current drug-driving rules set very low limits for eight illegal drugs, including cocaine and cannabis, with separate limits for drugs that have medical uses. Police officers must have reasonable suspicion before requesting a roadside test.
Do you have a story you'd like to share? Get in touch by emailingmotoring@gbnews.uk
The number of drug driving incidents has increased massively in recent years GETTYRoadside swab tests can detect cannabis or cocaine use, while other drugs require blood and urine tests at police stations, the report detailed.
Recent data from a Freedom of Information request revealed that 3,431 people were caught drug-driving on four or more occasions between 2013 and 2024.
The increase in drug driving cases also follows a higher number of people killed in crashes over the 11-year period with Department for Transport figures showing cases going up from 55 in 2014 to a record high of 134 in 2023.
In October 2024, a driver from Eastbourne was sentenced to five years in prison and banned from driving for seven-and-a-half years after being caught drug driving. He crashed a scaffolding van into an oncoming car on the A281 near Henfield, West Sussex, killing a 71-year-old.
Tests by police revealed the driver was positive for benzoylecgonine, a cocaine breakdown product, and was nearly twice over the alcohol limit.
IAM RoadSmart policy manager William Porter said: "The fact that one in two motorists are failing roadside drugs tests shows that the message about the dangers of drug-driving is not getting through.
"We urgently need a new approach to combat drug-driving which focuses on both greater enforcement and establishing rehabilitation courses to reduce reoffending.
“The evidence shows that those taking equivalent drink-drive courses are almost three times less likely to reoffend than those who don't. Ministers must consider expanding similar courses to those with drug-driving convictions."
Separate research by IAM RoadSmart found that one in seven drivers aged 17-34 admitted to getting behind the wheel after taking Class A drugs, with Porter warning the report indicates "how vital it is to tackle this growing epidemic".
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has recently indicated that drug-driving rules could be strengthened as part of an upcoming government road safety strategy.
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: "We take road safety extremely seriously and there are already strict penalties in place for those who are caught drug-driving.
"Our roads are among the safest in the world, but we are committed to improving road safety and reducing the number of those killed and injured on our roads.”
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
The police can carry out a “field impairment assessment” if they suspect someone is under the influencePADrivers caught drug driving can receive hefty punishments which include a minimum one year driving ban, an unlimited fine as well as up to six months in prison and a criminal record depending on the severity of the case.
