Gardai are currently being trained to recognize drivers that are possibly under the influence of drugs while driving. The Medical Bureau of Road Safety is training gardai drug-drive recognition techniques so that the officers will be about to “form an opinion” that drivers are under the influence of drugs if they have tested negatively for alcohol. Drivers that fail the impairment tests can be arrested and brought to the local garda station for blood or urine tests. Gardai now have authority to perform roadside drug testing under the provisions of the road Safety Act 2010. The blood or urine test will be performed by a qualified medical professional and the tested in a certified laboratory. Positive test results will be used to obtain a conviction in court. Refusal to submit to testing by the Gardai can result in fines of up to €5,000 or six months in prison.
Drug driving has received much less attention than drunk driving in Ireland, despite the fact that Road Safety Authority statistics show that one in five passengers have been in a car driven by a person under the influence of drugs. The new procedures can be expected to dramatically increase the number of drug driving convictions from the current level of 700 convictions per year.
If you have been in a road traffic accident and suspect that the other driver is under the influence of alcohol or drugs, you should inform the gardai immediately. The new procedures make it considerably more likely that the gardai will detect drug driving. Regardless of the circumstances of a road traffic accident, drivers is under the influence of drugs or alcohol are not only likely to be held fully responsible to the accident, and they are also going to be charged with drunk or drug driving and possibly dangerous driving.