Victora Police push for roadside cocaine testing

Police may soon test Victorian drivers for cocaine under an expanded roadside drug blitz as a crash expert reveals it’s “as dangerous as meth”.

Police are considering testing drivers for cocaine in an expanded roadside drug test.

The Saturday Herald Sun can reveal the state government is exploring whether the illicit substance – currently not tested for – can be included in the police testing regime.

The trial is still in the early planning stages, with a date not yet set.

The Police Association and a leading crash researcher at the Monash University Accident Research Centre have flagged the importance of Victoria screening for drivers drugged up on coke to reduce road trauma.

A parliamentary inquiry into the state’s road toll recommended cocaine be added to roadside drug testing, which presently ­detects only cannabis, meth and ecstasy.

Cocaine has so far not been introduced to roadside drug testing.

Monash University’s Max Cameron said Victoria needed to follow NSW in testing for cocaine after that state became the first Australian jurisdiction to introduce it in 2018.

“Cocaine is just as dangerous as meth, as they’re both drugs of dependence and in the same ballpark,” Professor Cameron said.

“Recent research shows catching drug-drivers is much more important than trying to deter them as they are captive to the drug.”

Professor Cameron said omitting to test for cocaine ­because of its lower prevalence in the community compared with other drugs was not a strong argument.

“It’s an excuse, as prevalence can change, and we shouldn’t wait for the problem to develop before doing something about it,” he said.

Professor Cameron said the cost of adding the narcotic to a preliminary oral fluid test would be “minimal”.

Police Association secretary Wayne Gatt said: “It’s a prevalent drug in society...we should develop the capacity to test drivers for it”.

Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner of road policing Glenn Weir said drug-driving contributed to a third of fatalities last year.

“We are currently working with our road safety partners to explore ways to expand the roadside testing regime to ­include a range of illicit drugs, including cocaine,” Mr Weir said.

More than two per cent of driver fatalities between 2015 and 2019 showed cocaine was present. Picture: Lawrence Pinder

The government, in its ­response to the inquiry, ­acknowledges the “accepted impairing effects and crash risk associated with cocaine”.

But it also pointed to toxicological data from the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine showing cocaine was detected in a smaller number of fatal crashes or serious injuries.

“Analysis from 2015 to 2019 shows cocaine was present in 2.1 per cent of driver fatalities,” the response said.

“In contrast, cannabis was present in 14.8 per cent of driver fatalities and all stimulants (including methylamphetamine) were present in approximately 17.3 per cent of all driver fatalities for the same period.”

The 2020-21 state budget committed $6.6m for police to carry out 150,000 drug tests.

It is against the law to drive under the influence of any drug or substance.