DRUGS AND DRIVING

So often people will say taking drugs makes them a better driver, they will argue with you and insist that when they are stoned they are more careful, pay more attention or are more alert. While it might feel that way, the reality is that there have been plenty of scientific studies to show that drugs affect our skills behind the wheel. Drugs affect our central nervous system which controls things like coordination, perception (things like our ability to judgement distances) and our reaction time. This can be a hard thing to remember when we’ve had a few drinks, taken some speed or had a few bongs and just want to go home or head onto the next party or night club.

Alcohol and other drugs can make up feel invincible and we might do things we wouldn’t normally do if we were straight and could think it through. It can be tricky too, if you live in a small town, in the sticks or in a place where there is either no public transport or the last bus or train leaves at 12pm.

Drugs Kill Your Skills!

Beside the severe penalties for driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs, it is also dangerous.

Alcohol (yes! alcohol is a drug) slows down reaction time and reduces your ability to concentrate. It can make you think you’re a better driver than what you really are and increases the chances you’ll do stupid stunts. It affects vision and can make you drowsy or fall asleep at the wheel. The higher the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level, the higher the risk of being involved in a crash. That’s why if you are on your ‘L’s or ‘P’s you can’t drink at all.

• Blood Alcohol Concentration level of 0.05 doubles the risk of an accident.
• BAC level of 0.08  increase the risk of an accident by 7 times.
• At a BAC level of 0.15  you are 25 times more likely to have an accident.

Smoking pot also reduces reaction time and affects our ability to judge distances, time and space. It affects concentration and the ability to do several things at once – which is what you need to be able to do to drive safely. You are more easily distracted and may not notice things quickly, such as other drivers. It also narrows and blurs your vision and can reduce hearing.

Amphetamines, cocaine or ecstasy can make you over-confident about your driving skills and you may take unnecessary risks because you falsely believe you are skilled or driving better than you really are. It can also make you reactive, aggressive and contribute to the risk of driving dangerously. It also impairs our ability to react properly particularly if you need to respond suddenly. Also with amphetamines you are unable to judge when you are tired and beginning to lose concentration and once the effect starts to wear off you can suddenly becoming drowsy and fall asleep – micro-sleeping. They can also make you scattered or delusional and unable to concentrate as well as hallucinate or see things that aren’t there.

Using heroin is risky as it can make you drowsy and “nod off”. It effects response time to situations and means you may not be able to get it together to respond quickly if you need to. It reduces the ability to think clearly and affects sight and can make your vision blurry. It can also cause nausea and vomiting - definitely not good when you are trying to concentrate on driving.

Some medications can also affect your driving skills. Especially medications for sleeping difficulties, anxiety, depression and stress, pain especially pain killers that contain codeine, some medications for allergies and hay fever,  some brands of cold and ‘flu’ tablets and cough mixtures (some also contain alcohol), heart conditions, fluid retention, nausea and stomach problems. Ask your doctor or chemist for more information.

Combining drugs is also dangerous. Drinking alcohol when you have used speed means you will be unable to judge how the alcohol has affected you. The combination of depressants such as heroin or (benzos) valiums and other meds with alcohol will increase drowsiness and lack of coordination.

Driving when you are hanging out (withdrawing) or “coming down” is also dangerous.

Roadside Testing

We already have random breath testing for alcohol and limits on the amount of alcohol you are allowed to drink. Now police in NSW and Victoria have the powers to carry out random roadside drug testing or if they suspect that the driver or supervising license holder (so if you’re on your “L’s” and an older brother or sister or friend is supervising you) are under the influence of drugs.

Drugs you can be tested for include:

• Pot – they test for THC (short word for the big word - Delta-9-tetrahydrahydrocannibinol) the ingredient in pot that makes you feel stoned.
• Methylamphetamines such as speed, ice, crystal meth or base.
• MDMA the main ingredient in  ecstasy
• There are also new offences for driving under the influence of cocaine or morphine (these are tested by taking sample of blood or urine).

How long after consuming ecstasy or speed, ice can these drugs be detected?

Roadside drug testing technology will detect recent use of speed, ice and ecstasy. In some cases these drugs can be detected by roadside drug screening technology up to 48 hours after use. The exact time will depend on the amount of the drug that has been used, how strong it is (i.e. ice has a much higher potency than speed) and how the drugs have been taken (smoked, injected, snorted etc).

Why has random roadside saliva testing for illicit drugs been introduced?

It has been acknowledged for a long time now that alcohol affects driving skills and in recent years there has been an increased concern about the impact of drugs as well.

Victoria was the first state to introduce roadside drug testing on the 1st December 2004. Drug driving is a major cause of road deaths in Victoria. In 2003, 31% of drivers killed in Victoria tested positive to drugs other than alcohol.

Research shows that a driver who has recently smoked a bong or joint or taken methamphetamines (speed) is at the same risk of having a crash as a driver with a Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) above 0.05. Scary stuff!

Of all the drivers and motorcyclists killed on Victoria's roads in 2003, over a quarter had a Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of .05 or higher and approximately 31% were found to have drugs other than alcohol in their system.

Figures from the South Australian Department for Transport, Energy and Infrastructure show that in rural areas, 29% of drivers and riders killed had illegal BAC levels and on average, 22 male and 4 female drivers or riders with a BAC level 0.05 or above are killed in fatal crashes each year.

In 2005 in New South Wales, 65 fatalities and 1,450 injuries were accounted for as a result of illegal levels of alcohol.

How are the tests done?

People will be selected randomly for drug testing just like police do now with random breath tests for alcohol. They can also request a test is done if they suspect that a driver is under the influence and seems out of it.

It sounds gross but your saliva is tested for traces of the drugs. Saliva samples are used because they are easy to collect and can be screened quickly and accurately to detect THC (the active component in cannabis) and methamphetamines (speed).

You will be asked to lick the test pad of the testing device (sounds like something off Futurama) and will know the result in about five minutes.

If it is negative you can click your heels and drive away

If it is positive it’s a different story. You will have to provide a second sample and it will take about 20 minutes for the results to come through. It this also returns a positive reading, you will be banned from driving for 24 hours and then your sample will be further tested to check what drugs are present. If this is the case then you will receive a Court Attendance Notice and be charged with driving with the presence of an illicit drug.

Stay Safe! Avoid drink and drug driving!

• If you are going to do drugs or drink then don’t drive.
• Plan ahead and arrange alternative transport.
• Share a taxi with friends. A taxi is heaps cheaper than a fine, major injury or the loss of a life (yours or someone else’s).
• Catch public transport.
• Stay overnight at a friend's place.
• Ride with a driver who hasn't been drinking or taking drugs.
• Arrange for a friend or relative to give you a lift and pick you up at the end of the night.
• If you have been at an all night rave, remember that even though you may feel straight, driving while ‘coming down’ is risky too.
• Feel good about your decision, if you chose not to drink or take drugs and your driving skills stay OK.

Information and statistics are from the RTA, Victoria’s Road Safety Strategy and NSW Government Drug Info Reports.