A new roadside test will allow police to detect drug drivers by swabbing their mouths for traces of drugs such as cannabis.
The DrugWipe test is under trial now.
It’s the first time police have been able to test drivers for traces of drugs – previously, they had to prove they were too impaired to drive.
The DrugWipe system allows officers to determine in less than 10 minutes whether motorists have drugs such as cocaine or cannabis in their bodies, using a swab from inside a driver’s cheek.
Police will use it at the roadside – arresting drivers who test positive for drugs such as cannabis, heroin, cocaine, MDMA as well as prescription pills such as diazepam.
The system is under test in Surrey and Sussex – in time for new laws which come into force on March 2, setting legal limits for drivers for blood levels of drugs (both illegal and prescription).
If drivers fail the DrugWipe test, they are arrested and taken to a police station, where they are asked to consent to a blood test.
Inspector Stewart Goodwin, of Surrey and Sussex police said, ‘Drug-driving is a widespread but often hidden menace across the country.
‘In the same way that we take a zero tolerance approach to drink-driving, we will also not tolerate drug-driving.
‘Driving under the influence of drugs puts not just the offenders and their passengers at risk but everyone else on the roads as well
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