Safe Speed Forums

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0, ... 44,00.html

Police to test drivers for drug abuse

Ministers are unlikely to set a drug-drive “limit” because they believe there is no such thing as a safe level. Instead, the drugalyser will analyse the saliva against a “cut-off” level for the drugs involved.

Drug-drivers face the same penalties as those caught over the drink-drive limit.

No limit , but penalties as for drunk driving???

With the test proceedures in place on certain jobs, even Lemsip is detected, where does theFishermans friend come in??


On the less serious side there's another article in the times "Reaction times go better with Coke
"

http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/articl ... 18,00.html


Did they really mean to put them together??

Hmm! I don’t condone the use of drugs while driving, and as I’m not a drug user myself it shouldn’t really affect me. However what does concern me is exactly what these machines will detect, and how they differentiate between what is an acceptable drug and what isn’t (what drugs are classed as banned substances). There are lots of drugs on the market for medical use, how will you know if you’re using a medication that won’t be detected as a drug, (I’ve been taking Lemsip’s for my cold officer) hence you’re up for drug driving. The other thing is they won’t catch many, there's no police on patrol to catch them.

_________________
Useless laws weaken necessary laws.

In principle this must be a good thing, but it is important that people aren't condemned for small trace levels of illegal drugs consumed days before that have no influence on driving ability.

I have never taken any illegal drugs myself and don't condone doing so, but if handled wrongly, this initiative could easily become a back-door anti-drugs crusade rather than a genuine attempt to make the roads safer.

_________________
"Show me someone who says that they have never exceeded a speed limit, and I'll show you a liar, or a menace." (Austin Williams - Director, Transport Research Group)

Any views expressed in this post are personal opinions and may not represent the views of Safe Speed

Drivers high on drugs can be very dangerous as their perception and reaction times are impaired. Our tests would determine the difference between Lemsip/Nighnurse/Beechams/Vick and other prescribed drugs.

Rule of thumb to quote Wildy in the past: Read the instructions carefully, do not take a prescribed drug with alcohol and if you have the slightest doubt as to capability - go lie down with a hot water bottle and take it easy....

As for Lucozade etc - nothing wrong with these and a very interesting article in CW on the effects of these

_________________
Take with a chuckle or a grain of salt
Drive without COAST and it's all your own fault!

A SMILE is a curve that sets everything straight (P Diller).

A Smiley Per post
FINES USfor our COAST!

Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon - but driving with a smile and a COAST calm mind.

Picked this up as workers in industries subject to random drugs tests tell of some horror stories - lemsip is one as is various types of seeds on bread - and with this sort of testing traces of drugs can be found weeks afterwards. They have to record (for their own good) any thing they take and notify any prescription drug.

IG- wasn't and am not against drugs testing - anything hat makes our roads safer can only be a good thing.Just pointing out some side effects.

But as the other post on deaths rising as tests fall due to fall in police patrols how can they expect this to work if they cannot get the drink testing to

I wonder if it would be alright to tell the policeman who stops you that you may have made some mistakes in your youth but refuse to say if you have taken any drugs and that we should move on as it isn't important to the overall job of driving the country ... sorry, car.

_________________
Malcolm W.
The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not represent the views of Safespeed.

I remember a few years back...
The Shadow home secretary tried out one of these drug test devices - and came up positive for opiates!
It turned out he was on Co-Codamol!
He was not driving, but the press hd a field day at the time!!

_________________
Time to take responsibility for our actions.. and don't be afraid of speaking out!

Didn't "Braniac" (or a similar type of pop science program) get a similar result? They found a tea-total vicar, fed him a couple of bagels that were coated with poppy seeds (nothing special, just bought froma local bakery), and 12 hours later he "failed" a drugs test for opiates...!

_________________
"Politicians are the same the world over... We build bridges where there aren't any rivers." - Nikita Kruschev

I do not think we would rely on some gadget alone in the case of drugs. Why I am against someone being charged solely on the result of a road side drink test - no matter how "advanced" the gadget. This is why: Mad Doc once posted on here inthe past (or was it PH? ) about a case he had some years ago when he was the duty doctor called to do a blood test. Anyway the woman tested positive on a roadside and the BiB had no choice but to arrest on suspicion on that basis. She did register positive on one of the two later samples at the station apparently , but she insisted she had not been drinking and demanded a blood sample be taken. She was so adamant that the officers agreed. A blood test revealed she liked her pickled onions
,, the acetic acid on her breath trigged the gadget in much the same way as the Fisherman's Friend did....



So .. with the "drugalyser" in particular - we'd have to arrest on suspicion as with booze - but do further tests with a doctor at the station and ensure all procedures were followed to the letter and with fairness to the suspect to ensure we had a case etc. Lemsips - Wildy:neko: is best qualified to discuss properties and side effects on one's body overall - but given the paracetamol content in a Lemsip - whisky is not such a good mixer after all for the morning after....

In some cases - as with alcohol you would have no serious doubts - but with drugs there is always the possibility of residue remaining in body for long time after actually taking the drug. This could continue to impair some but not others - so later tests would have to be pretty tight, comprehensive and conclusive really.


I gather from general conversations with Wildy in the past and reading of CW and various newspaper articles that a number of over the counter cures are taboo for athletes because of some very arguably slight effects on body.

_________________
Take with a chuckle or a grain of salt
Drive without COAST and it's all your own fault!

A SMILE is a curve that sets everything straight (P Diller).

A Smiley Per post
FINES USfor our COAST!

Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon - but driving with a smile and a COAST calm mind.

_________________
Take with a chuckle or a grain of salt
Drive without COAST and it's all your own fault!

A SMILE is a curve that sets everything straight (P Diller).

A Smiley Per post
FINES USfor our COAST!

Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon - but driving with a smile and a COAST calm mind.