High cost of roadside drug test will limit use
The number of roadside tests for drug driving is to be limited to 50,000 per year, due to the high cost of the hand-held devices.
The devices, which analyse a driver’s saliva for the presence of drugs, are up to 125 times more expensive than the breathalysers used to detect drunk drivers.
The Medical Bureau of Road Safety (MBRS) is currently tendering for 50,000 drug testing kits, which it said is the current anticipated volume per year.
It means that drivers will be far more likely to be tested for drink driving, with around 400,000 breathalyser tests carried out last year.
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