Drug driving up fourfold in two years

The number of motorists convicted for driving under the influence of drugs has increased fourfold since 2017. DVLA figures show around 20,000 motorists have been convicted after using substances in the last 12 months.

That’s around 60 people per working day of the year. The figure was 17 people every working day in 2017.

The police caught 40 teenagers aged between 15 and 16 driving under the influence of drugs, while the oldest driver banned was a 74-year-old woman.

West Midlands police and crime commissioner David Jamieson said: “These figures are staggering. The reality is drug driving is a hidden epidemic. A lot of people think they can get away with it because so few police are on the roads and the likelihood of being stopped is really low. What we need is tougher enforcement.”

The figures may include those motorists convicted for driving under the influence of prescription drugs.

A spokesman for road safety charity Brake said: “These shocking figures reveal just how prevalent drug driving is on our roads. It is vital that both the law and our enforcement ability is effective in catching, punishing and deterring this dangerous behaviour.

“The Government must prioritise the type-approval of roadside screening devices that can detect all banned drugs and step up roads policing levels to deter offending. We also need to see the law used to its fullest extent with tougher penalties handed out, making clear that drug driving will not be tolerated.”