The Department for Transport has today announced proposed new measures to bring drug-driving in line with drink-driving, meaning offenders will be forced to undergo rehabilitation before being allowed back behind the wheel after a conviction.
Although still prevalent in many areas, drink-drive related deaths and injuries are now much rarer on UK roads. Deaths have fallen by 88% between 1979 and 2015 (although those statistics won’t take into consideration the better protection afforded by modern cars which lower the death rate). However, there has been an increase in drug-driving related offences, with over 12,000 people being convicted in 2019, 44% of those offences were committed by repeat offenders. 713 people were seriously injured in drug-driving collisions in 2020, up from 499 in 2016 (although the widespread use of roadside drug swipes has helped those numbers to rise dramatically). Some police forces are arresting more drug-drivers than drink-drivers.
That’s why the government is taking action to make drug-driving as much of a social taboo as drink-driving.
Rehabilitation
Under current legislation those convicted of drug-driving are handed a driving ban, prison sentence or fine by the courts but offenders aren’t required to complete rehabilitation courses before they can resume driving – unlike drink-drivers. The government is asking the question: Whether drug-drivers should also have to undergo rehabilitation in an effort to better protect the public?
Transport Secretary Grant Schapps said “Drink-driving is now rightly seen as a social taboo by most of us in this country and we have worked hard to drive down drink-drive related deaths. But if we are to make our roads safer still, there is no room to be lax on drug-driving, which is why I have launched this call for evidence today. It’s only right that drug-drivers must undergo rehabilitation before getting back behind the wheel, helping protect the public from this hidden problem and stamping out drug-driving for good.”
Evidence suggests that non-attendees to drink-driving rehabilitation courses are over twice as likely to commit a new drink-drive offence within three years. By offering drug-drivers the same support government hopes to bring down the number of repeat offenders. The call for evidence launched today also seeks views on the use of medicinal cannabis and road safety.
This is the first of several steps government is taking this year to help reduce the problem of drink and drug driving. Later this year they’ll also be seeking views on other drink and drug-driving matters, such as failing to stop after a collision and the criminal use of vehicles.
Fear not good citizens of Airstrip One, soon all vehicles will have automatic drug/drink analysers built in to the ignition system, as well as mandatory in cab cameras and speed restrictors. The data (and your DNA sequence) will be recorded continuously and stored indefinitely and will be used to assess your “Social Credit Score” or SCS. A poor SCS means mandatory curfew. You will go to work and return home only. Your View Screen and web access will be limited to .Gov approved rehabilitation media only. Should you try to leave the country, .Gov will pass on your SCS to foreign governments so you may be denied entry and/or surveilled wherever you go in the world. Own Life and Thought Crime WILL be “rehabilitated”. 2+2=5. War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength. Remember, Big Brother is watching you. You WILL love Big Brother.