Three quarters of drug drivers smoked ice before getting behind wheel: Victoria Police
Victoria Police has revealed a groundbreaking new way its taking dangerous drivers off the state’s roads, as the number of drug drivers smoking ice hits an alarming new height.
Victoria
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More than 75 per cent of drug drivers caught by police were found to have smoked ice before getting behind the wheel.
The force have warned motorists that any police vehicle is now capable of testing drivers for drugs as shocking new statistics are revealed.
Every police vehicle, including motorcycles, are now equipped with drug testing kits in what shapes to be a major win for motorists’ safety across the state.
Appalling new data, released exclusively to the Herald Sun, shows about three quarters of the 8,426 drug drivers tested returned positive reads to methamphetamine.
That equates to more than 700 drug drivers being caught every month.
About 17 per cent of those drivers tested positive to both meth and THC — a component of either MDMA or cannabis.
Alarmingly, 40 drivers tested positive to all three drugs in their system at once.
More than 1,200 people were also caught with both meth and cannabis in their system.
Victoria Police are specifically targeting those appearing to avoid drug buses and police vehicles by deploying officers into side streets across the suburbs and regions.
Superintendent Justin Goldsmith said the force were making no apologies for going after criminals who think they can “outsmart the law”.
“Drug drivers who think they can outsmart police should think again,” he said.
“Every highway patrol car is a drug bus which means there’s nowhere to hide.
“That includes side streets, where we tactically deploy to catch out motorists actively trying to avoid police.
“The penalties for drug driving are severe, even if you’re a first-time offender.”
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Originally published as Three quarters of drug drivers smoked ice before getting behind wheel: Victoria Police
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