More than one in five people surveyed by the Road Safety Authority admitted they were passengers in a car that was driven by someone under the influence of drugs.
The worrying figure was revealed at the launch of the joint RSA, Western Region Drugs Task Force and Garda Siochána Christmas campaign warning drivers to stay off the roads if they are under the influence of either drugs or alcohol.
The ‘Say goodbye to your licence and hello to An Garda Síochána’ campaign launched recently in Ballina seeks to banish any notion that drug drivers are either competent or undetectable.
RSA research on the use of illegal drugs while driving has highlighted worrying risky behaviour amongst 17 to 34 year olds in particular. More than one in five surveyed or 22 per cent admitted they were passengers in a car that was driven by someone under the influence of drugs. Of the 1,000 sampled, nearly half had used recreational drugs at some point, with 6 per cent saying they had been behind the wheel of a car under the influence.
The campaign aims to highlight that driving under the influence of drugs - either illegal or legal drugs which compromise road safety - is just as dangerous as getting behind the wheel under the influence of alcohol. It’s also against the law, said Noel Brett, Chief Executive of the RSA.
“Drug-drivers typically think they’re more competent drivers while they’re under the influence, but the RSA survey reveals that 50 per cent of these same drivers had already been fined for other traffic offences,” Mr Brett revealed.
Source: Anton McNulty, Mayo News, 05/12/2012
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