Cannabis and cocaine the most common illegal drugs detected in drivers in 2018

There's a crackdown this weekend.

Drug drivers are to be targeted over the June Bank Holiday weekend as part of a campaign by the Road Safety Authority (RSA), An Garda Síochána and the Medical Bureau of Road Safety (MBRS). The MBRS has reported a rise of approximately 50% in the number of blood and urine specimens received for alcohol and drugs testing in the first four months of the year when compared to the same period in 2018. While statistics from An Garda Síochána show that the number of arrests for ‘Driving Under the Influence’ (DUI), which includes alcohol or drugs or a combination of both, is up 15%. There were 2,694 arrests for DUI from Jan-April 2019, versus 2,343 for Jan-April 2018. Speaking ahead of the Bank Holiday, Shane Ross, Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, said: “Driving under the influence of drugs has been a statutory offence since 1961 but it wasn’t until April 2017, with the introduction of Preliminary Drug Testing (PDT), that we had a drug testing device capable of testing for the presence of drugs in drivers at the roadside and in the Garda station. "It’s clear that its introduction and the accompanying awareness raising campaigns have made a big contribution to tackling this killer behaviour." The RSA will also be running its digital awareness campaign called "Uvula” which is aimed at young drivers, highlighting that drivers can lie about drug driving but the Draeger 5000 drug testing machine can't be lied to. A total of 62 people have been killed or seriously injured in June Bank Holiday collisions over the last five years while 62 people have been killed on the roads in 2019 already this year.