Member for Davidson, Jonathan O’Dea has welcomed the release of new figures showing the alarming impact drug driving has on our roads.
“Data like this has never been collated before in the state and marks an important step in tackling the use of drugs while driving,” Mr O’Dea said.
“This data reveals that a disturbing 11 per cent of road fatalities involved a driver or motorcyclist who had illicit drugs in their system.
“We now know there were 1,978 road accidents in the Sydney region, of which 34 were fatal crashes involving motorists with at least one of three illicit drugs (cannabis, speed or ecstasy) in their system.
“We will ramp up our fight to remove this behaviour from Sydney roads so as to minimise the loss of life from the illegal actions of drug drivers.”
Mr O’Dea said, “This new information is helping us understand critical factors about drug driving, including the fact that 40 per cent of drug driving offences, including fatal crashes, involved a drug driver that was under 30 years of age.”
Police are now also using a new and improved drug testing machine, which has more sensitive detection thresholds and will reduce the proportion of drivers who are screened as negative at the roadside.
The devices are paid for directly by fines from mobile, red light and speed cameras, which also pay for other important safety initiatives.
“Every cent from mobile, red light and speed cameras goes into the Community Road Safety Fund, which then goes towards investing in improved safety for our community,” Mr O’Dea said.
More detailed information about key factors affecting drug driving can be found on the NSW Government’s Centre for Road Safety website: http://roadsafety.transport.nsw.gov.au/downloads/drug-driving-f.pdf
