Roadside drug testing was introduced into the NSW setting in 2007. Just like random breath testing (RBT) for alcohol, drug testing drivers was said to be brought in to improve safety on the roads. But, unlike RBT, it doesn’t test for driver impairment. It’s a trace-based program. The NSW testing regime was modelled on that ...
Category: Drug Driving
Police Should Test for Impairment Levels of Drugs, Not Minute Traces
On the first weekend of this month, NSW police carried out a roadside alcohol and drug driving blitz in the Northern Rivers region. And while locals aren’t complaining about officers booking drunk drivers, they are opposed to those charged with drug driving as there’s no proof they were impaired. Those living in the northern coastal ...
Arresting Drivers for Using Cold and Flu Tablets Will Not Save Lives
By Paul Gregoire and Ugur Nedim NSW roads minister Melinda Pavey has announced there will be an expansion of substances that can ‘influence’ drivers for the purpose of laws against driving under the influence (DUI). She has also announced a strategy designed to assess whether individuals on the Opioid Treatment Program are fit to drive. ...
Drug Driving Laws Criminalise the Legal Use of Cannabis
By Paul Gregoire and Ugur Nedim The Berejiklian government announced in January that NSW police are set to more than double the number of roadside drug tests they conduct from 97,000 to 200,000 a year by 2020. And along with more tests, another drug will be added to the list that officers test for. As of ...
Government to Introduce Tougher Road Rules
By Sonia Hickey and Ugur Nedim The New South Wales Government is setting harsher penalties for drink and drug affected drivers. Twenty-eight people died on NSW roads during the 2017-2018 summer holiday period – more than double the previous year. And 2017 was the third year in a row that the yearly road toll increased, ...
Cocaine Testing May Lead to Fairer Drug Driving Laws
By Paul Gregoire and Ugur Nedim NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian announced on January 15 that the state government will be toughening drug driving penalties and increasing the number of mobile drug tests (MDTs), which is concerning to many given that the current regime is fundamentally flawed. NSW police will be doubling the number of MDTS from 100,000 ...
NSW Drivers Will Be Tested For Cocaine
With the New South Wales road toll at its highest in eight years, the state government is introducing tough new measures including doubling the number of mobile drug tests (MDTs) and adding cocaine to the list of tested substances. 397 people died on the state’s roads in 2017, and the holiday road toll more than ...
Disqualified Drivers Can Now Apply to Get Their Licences Back
The Road Transport Amendment (Driver Licence Disqualification) Act came into effect on 28 October 2017, allowing certain disqualified drivers in NSW to apply to the local court for the removal of their disqualification periods. Who can apply? If you are a disqualified driver, you may apply for the removal of all disqualification periods where: Any ...
Stop Testing Drivers for Minute Traces of Cannabis
By Paul Gregoire and Ugur Nedim Most Australian states and territories currently carry out mobile drug testing (MDT) operations that only test for three illicit substances: amphetamines, MDMA and cannabis. In Tasmania and the Northern Territory, police test for longer lists of illegal drugs. In NSW, authorities have recently announced trial testing for cocaine will begin later this ...
Drug Driving Laws Are Not About Road Safety
By Paul Gregoire and Ugur Nedim In December 2015, the NSW government announced it was tripling the number of mobile drug tests carried out annually to 97,000 tests by this year. As might be expected, the number of motorists being charged with drug driving offences has also skyrocketed. A Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research report found that ...