Roadside Drug Testing in New South Wales
Keywords: Enforcement
ARSRPE
Submission Date: 2011
Abstract
Roadside Drug Testing in New South Wales Peter Rowden1, Evalynn Mazurski1, Daya Withaneachi1, & Snr Sgt Mark Stevens2 1Roads and Traffic Authority, NSW 2 NSW Police Force Drug driving is widely acknowledged as an international challenge for road safety. In NSW, per se legislation introduced in December 2006 stipulates that a person may be charged with an offence following the detection of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), methylamphetamine, or methylenedioxymethylamphetamine (MDMA) in oral fluid during roadside testing by Police. Positive samples are confirmed by the state laboratory. Between January 2007 and December 2010, 83928 roadside drug tests were conducted in NSW, resulting in 1645 positive results. This paper documents the trends in enforcement levels of roadside drug testing in NSW from 2007-2010. Characteristics of offenders including age, gender, licence type, and licence status are examined with respect to the type of drug detected and the location of the offence. Such characteristics are reported for light vehicle drivers/riders and heavy vehicle drivers. Results are discussed in terms of deterrence theory. The range of psychotropic substances shown to impair driving performance and the evolution of oral fluid testing equipment are discussed regarding future directions for roadside drug testing. Yes