Gardaí will have greater powers to tackle drug driving under laws to be unveiled today.
The new Road Traffic Bill, launched by Transport Minister Leo Varadkar, is part of a crackdown that will aid the efforts of gardaí to deal with motorists they suspect to be under the influence of banned substances, or prescription medicines.
Gardaí will also be able, for the first time, to take blood samples from unconscious drivers at the scene of an accident under the proposed legislation.
Mr Varadkar was unveiling the new laws at a major road safety conference at Farmleigh House in Dublin’s Phoenix Park.
The growing problem of drug-driving has prompted the Government to grant new powers to gardaí.
While the Medical Bureau of Road Safety awaits tenders for a suitable machine to detect drug use — similar to a breathalyser for alcohol — gardaí will be able to carry out impairment tests on suspected drivers.
Drivers believed to be under the influence of banned substances can be made to carry out tests by the roadside, such as walking in a straight line, or hand/eye co-ordination movements to gauge their status.
Source: Shaun Connolly, Irish Examiner, 27/06/2013
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