The following information has been taken from Standards & Compliance Magazine – Spring 2026.

Call For Action Over The Scourge Of Drug-Driving

Safety groups say the law has not kept up with the huge increase in offences.

Transport chiefs have long been aware of the dangers of their staff drinking and driving. But drug-driving is proving to be just as much of a menace – and harder to spot.

While it will probably be fairly obvious if a worker is under the influence of alcohol,
someone who has taken amphetamines or cocaine is likely to dodge under the radar – until a crash or an accident in the workplace happens.

Now worrying new figures from the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) reveal a concerning rise in the rate of drug-driving reoffending, prompting calls for urgent reforms to the system. Instances of this have surged by more than 134% in the last four years according to road safety charity IAM RoadSmart.

In 2024 there were 3,193 instances of drug-driving reoffending, compared to 1,363
recorded offences in 2020. Nearly half of drug-drive offences (44%) are committed by a reoffender, according to Government data. One person committed the offence when they had 18 previous drink and drug-driving convictions. IAM RoadSmart says the system is broken and in need of urgent reform.

When police suspect a person of drug-driving, they will conduct a roadside screening test such as a swab which can test on the spot for cannabis and cocaine.
They may also perform a Field Impairment Test (FIT) and ask the driver to perform physical tasks to assess co-ordination such as walking in a line or standing on one leg. A person will be arrested if they fail the FIT, or if the officer still suspects driving is impaired by drugs. The offender will then be taken to a police station and asked to provide a sample of blood or urine for laboratory analysis.

One of the reasons that reoffending is rife could be because of delays of up to six months to process blood tests, which means people who have failed a roadside test are allowed to continue to drive. Some of those drivers have gone on to kill while their results are pending. The backlog has been acknowledged in the Government’s new Road Safety Strategy, which proposes giving police powers to suspend the driving licences of those suspected of committing a drug-driving offence.

Alternative methods

Exploring alternative methods for drug-driving evidence collection and sampling is also on the table. Australia has been using immediate roadside evidential saliva sampling for nearly two decades, combining this with laboratory testing for rapid case resolution. William Porter, IAM RoadSmart’s policy, public affairs and communications manager, said: “The system for dealing with drug-drivers hasn’t kept pace with the huge increase in reoffending. The fact that those who have tested positive to a roadside test are allowed to get back into the driving seat pending a laboratory blood test shows that the system is broken. We welcome the proposed government shakeup and would like to see an immediate suspension when a driver has provided a positive roadside saliva drug test.

“We also need to see the introduction of a drug-drive rehabilitation course with better screening for drug and mental health problems and with clear pathways to treatment. Drug-drivers often need support to break the pattern of reoffending by changing their mindset and habits, understanding how drugs impair driving, and the serious consequences for themselves and others.”

Research conducted by IAM RoadSmart in 2025, through a survey of 2,053 UK motorists, found that 82% support a proposal to give police powers to suspend driving licences immediately pending trial for those testing positive for drug-driving. Separate figures show that drug-driving on the whole is increasing: 20,072 people in England and Wales were sentenced for drug-driving offences in 2024 – 143% higher than in 2017.

A conviction for drug-driving carries a minimum one-year driving ban, an unlimited fine and up to six months in prison. While the drink-drive rehabilitation scheme has been in place for 25 years, no such national scheme exists for drug-drive offenders although trials are being been undertaken. ●

BELOW: When police suspect a person of drug-driving, they conduct a roadside screening test.