22 February 2024 , 13:23
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With both drug and drink-driving on the rise, police chiefs are calling for new powers to allow officers to instantly disqualify motorists at the roadside.
Such a law would mean those who pose a risk to others could be taken off the road 'immediately', as opposed to the current set-up where drivers charged with drug or drink-driving offences are banned following a court appearance. But this can take weeks to happen, and until then drivers are allowed back behind the wheel.
Chief Constable Jo Shiner, the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) lead for roads policing, said: "The ability for us to be able to disqualify people either for drink or drug-driving by the roadside would mean that we can immediately take that risk off the road. And those people can't be behind the wheel, particularly if they've blown well over the legal limit."
Currently, a motorist suspected of driving under the influence is given a road-side test which - if positive - is followed-up by a confirmatory test at a police station. If the second test is positive, the driver is charged and a court date set.
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Force bosses are currently looking at the legal changes and the kind of tests needed to allow the police to instantly ban people. The NPCC also want harsher punishments for motorists who kill while under the influence, including potential murder charges.
Ms Shiner said: "We should have greater sentencing and far greater sentences, particularly for those people who do kill or seriously injure people on the roads. I actually do believe that if someone makes that decision to get behind the wheel, under the influence of drink or drugs, that is a conscious decision they have made to get into a vehicle and therefore to put other people at risk".
The NPCC recently released new arrest data following last year's campaign of roadside testing. It suggested that in England and Wales 48.5 per cent of drug tests were positive, while 9.5 per cent of breath tests for alcohol were positive.
What do you think? Should police be allowed to ban drink or drug-drivers at the roadside?