Commissioner warns against drug driving

POLICE and Crime Commissioner for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Darryl Preston, is warning against the dangers of drug driving during BRAKE Road Safety Week (15^th – 21^st November 2021).

According to road safety charity, BRAKE, nationally drug driving is a factor in 1 in 20 fatal crashes.

“I know from my many conversations with people living and working in the county that road safety is an issue that they are concerned about, said Darryl.

“Sadly, we are seeing an increase in drug driving being a factor in collisions where individuals are killed or seriously injured within our county.”

In Cambridgeshire drug driving was a factor in seven collisions in which someone was killed or seriously injured in 2018, that figure shot up to thirteen in 2020. Moreover, the national road traffic count in 2020 is estimated to be 20% less than normal due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

“This issue is really concerning to me. We are seeing an increase in drug driving related collisions at a time where there are less cars on our roads,” Darryl continued. “I want to be clear – driving under the influence of drugs is completely unacceptable. Those who choose to take drugs and drive are not only endangering themselves but are also risking the lives of others around them.”

Between October 2019 and September 2021 the majority of people arrested for drug driving in the county were ages between 20 and 34.

Matt Staton, Vision Zero Partnership Delivery Manager, said: “It is a concern to see the large increase in collisions involving drug drivers over the last two years and increases in drink driving too. Different drugs affect your driving in different ways, and this includes some medicines, but the effect of these crashes is catastrophic. Police Officers have the ability to test for some drugs at the roadside so there’s more chance of drug drivers being caught too – it’s not worth the risk.”

The Commissioner is committed to actively supporting Vision Zero – the county’s road safety partnership that has the single ambition of no road deaths or serious injuries as a result of a road collision by 2040.