Drug testing on Victorian roads increasing
Announcement posted by Integrity Sampling 16 Nov 2016
If you take drugs and drive, you’re now more likely to be caught as drug testing on Victorian roads is on the increase.
If you take drugs and drive, you’re now more likely to be caught as drug testing on Victorian roads is on the increase.
The focus on drugs is a direct result of the road toll and the number of people being killed on Victorian roads with drugs in their system. Since 2013, more people have died on our roads under the influence of drugs than have died under the influence of alcohol.
The drug testing figures show the increased focus on drugs. In 2015/16, over 100,000 drug tests were conducted on Victoria roads, an increase of around 25% on the 2014/15 figures. The drug testing figures are expected to rise in future years, with a likely figure in 2016/17 of around 1.1 million drug tests.
Unfortunately, it’s not just drug testing Victoria is not the only place where test is on the rise. The ratio of drivers being caught with drugs in their system is also increasing. The latest figures show that 1 driver out of every 11 that are drug tested are being detected with drugs in their system; the previous year’s figure was one in 18.
Included in these figures are:
• Four positive results for methamphetamines in just six hours on 2 November, in roadside drug testing in Victoria’s Yarra Ranges.
• A 34-year old male driver in the Melbourne suburb of Keysborough, who was caught speeding, and with drugs and alcohol in his system. The dubious ‘trifecta’ occurred a day before the Melbourne Cup.
• A 36-year-old female driver in Mulgrave, who was pulled over for speeding in an 80 zone on 30 October and then recorded a positive drug test.
All these drug testing incidents on Victorian roads were part of Operation Furlong, held between 28 October and midnight on Melbourne Cup day. In total, one in 10 people drug tested on Victorian roads during this period were found to have illicit drugs in their system. Just on 2800 people were drug tested with 283 offences detected. In comparison, almost 200,000 breath tests were conducted with 316 offences.
Assistant Commissioner Doug Fryer said the number of motorists found with drugs in their system was alarming.
“To think that one in every 10 motorists we drug tested were found to be under the influence of drugs is of great concern,” he said.“These people simply shouldn’t be on the road, they are a massive risk to themselves and to the greater community.”
Note: This press release was written by Integrity Sampling, which conducts workplace drug and alcohol testing across more than 30 locations in Australia.
The focus on drugs is a direct result of the road toll and the number of people being killed on Victorian roads with drugs in their system. Since 2013, more people have died on our roads under the influence of drugs than have died under the influence of alcohol.
The drug testing figures show the increased focus on drugs. In 2015/16, over 100,000 drug tests were conducted on Victoria roads, an increase of around 25% on the 2014/15 figures. The drug testing figures are expected to rise in future years, with a likely figure in 2016/17 of around 1.1 million drug tests.
Unfortunately, it’s not just drug testing Victoria is not the only place where test is on the rise. The ratio of drivers being caught with drugs in their system is also increasing. The latest figures show that 1 driver out of every 11 that are drug tested are being detected with drugs in their system; the previous year’s figure was one in 18.
Included in these figures are:
• Four positive results for methamphetamines in just six hours on 2 November, in roadside drug testing in Victoria’s Yarra Ranges.
• A 34-year old male driver in the Melbourne suburb of Keysborough, who was caught speeding, and with drugs and alcohol in his system. The dubious ‘trifecta’ occurred a day before the Melbourne Cup.
• A 36-year-old female driver in Mulgrave, who was pulled over for speeding in an 80 zone on 30 October and then recorded a positive drug test.
All these drug testing incidents on Victorian roads were part of Operation Furlong, held between 28 October and midnight on Melbourne Cup day. In total, one in 10 people drug tested on Victorian roads during this period were found to have illicit drugs in their system. Just on 2800 people were drug tested with 283 offences detected. In comparison, almost 200,000 breath tests were conducted with 316 offences.
Assistant Commissioner Doug Fryer said the number of motorists found with drugs in their system was alarming.
“To think that one in every 10 motorists we drug tested were found to be under the influence of drugs is of great concern,” he said.“These people simply shouldn’t be on the road, they are a massive risk to themselves and to the greater community.”
Note: This press release was written by Integrity Sampling, which conducts workplace drug and alcohol testing across more than 30 locations in Australia.