Drivers Caught Drug-Driving to Face Imprisonment

Plans to fine and imprison drivers who are caught drug driving are now underway.

Drivers found to have taken drugs whilst driving will face a prison sentence of up to six months and will be fined of up to £5,000 under the new legislation. Offenders will also face an automatic driving ban.

Pending approval from the Home Office this year, police forces up and down the country are to be supplied with devices that will allow them to test drivers for drugs.

Police forces up and down the country are to be supplied with new devices that will allow them to test motorists for drugs. If the Home Office approves these plans later this year, police will be able to prosecute drivers if they can prove their driving ability has been affected.

At present, the police can only prosecute drivers who have taken drugs if they can prove the driver’s ability has been affected.

A campaign launched by the parent of Lillian Groves, a 14-year-old from Surrey who was killed by a speeding motorist who had been smoking cannabis encouraged David Cameron to take action against drug-driving. The driver responsible for Lillian’s death was sentenced to eight months in prison but was released after just eight weeks.

Cameron said: “I found meeting Lillian Groves’s family in Downing Street late last year incredibly moving. As they said at the time, it simply can’t be right that a schoolgirl … can lose her life and then we discover we don’t have the laws or the technology to punish drug drivers properly. We want to do for drug-driving what drink-driving laws have done for driving under the influence of alcohol.

“That’s why we’re doing what we can to get drugalysers rolled out more quickly. And this week we’ll publish a new drug-driving offence so that driving under the influence of drugs itself is a crime, just like it is for drink-driving.”

The new offence will cover drivers, who have taken illegal drugs, but the exact drugs covered and the limits that apply will be determined by a panel of alcohol and drug experts.

If you or a loved one has been affected by drug-driving, the team here at PHC Law are here to help you gain the justice you or your loved one deserves. For confidential legal advice and guidance, or if you would like to make a claim, we are on your side. Call 0800 612 7 612 to speak to an experienced road traffic accident solicitor today.

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