Drivers will be checked for illegal drugs at the roadside as well as alcohol for the first time as gardaí take delivery of 150 testing machines early next year.
New laws will see motorists who get behind the wheel after taking drugs such as cocaine, ecstasy or cannabis prosecuted in a similar way to drink-drivers.
The roadside test will involve gardaí taking a swab of saliva from a driver's cheek which will be analysed for a variety of substances.
Although the final sanctions for the new drug-driving offences are still being finalised, it will be seen as an "equivalent offence" to drink-driving where a motorist can be fined €5,000 and jailed for up to six months.
Transport Minister Paschal Donohoe has promised that legislation to be introduced before the General Election will be "robust as possible" as he currently faces a massive challenge to tidy up six decades of road traffic law which is being challenged in the courts everyday.
Source: Irish Independent, 23/11/15
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