THERE have rightly been huge efforts in recent years to crack down on the scourge of drink-driving on our roads. In 2014, the Scottish Government was praised when it became the first country in the UK to further lower the legal alcohol limit for motorists.
However, as alarming research revealed by the Sunday Herald shows today, there is another menace on the road of Scotland which is not being tackled by the government - drug-driving. Figures show that the number of drivers and motorcyclists who died with cannabis in their system over three years was exactly the same number as those who died after drinking. While it cannot be concluded that every accident was a result of taking drugs, it shows the shocking scale and impact of drug-driving on Scotland’s roads.
In 2013, the UK Government and the Scottish Government undertook a joint public consultation on proposals for new regulations on drug-driving.
After the consultation, drug-driving limits and improved testing were introduced in England and Wales. However, the Holyrood government did nothing despite having the power to decide if a new drug-driving offence should be introduced and, if so, what the limits for specified drugs should be.
The lack of action is quite simply baffling when the human death toll is considered.
Taking a few simple legislative steps in Holyrood would end the current ‘loophole’ in Scotland. If the Scottish Government wants to improve road safety in Scotland - and thereby save lives - it now has to be as tough on drug driving as drink driving.
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