The Transport Secretary today announced plans to crack down on drug-driving to protect the public
A call for evidence has been launched to determine whether convicted drug-drivers should have to complete a rehabilitation course before resuming driving.
Proposals require drug-drivers to undertake rehabilitation courses before being allowed back behind the wheel. Reform would bring penalties for drug-driving in line with drink-driving.
Call for evidence helps keep high-risk offenders off our roads and looks at how medical cannabis impacts road safety.
Drug-drivers could be required to undertake rehabilitation courses before being allowed back behind the wheel, under new plans to address this underestimated social problem.
Currently, those convicted of drug-driving are handed a driving ban, prison sentence or fine by the courts, but aren’t required to complete rehabilitation courses before resuming driving – unlike drink-drivers.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said:
“Drink-driving is now rightly seen as a social taboo by most of us in this country and we have worked hard to drive down drink-drive related deaths.
“But, if we are to make our roads safer still, there is no room to be lax on drug-driving, which is why I have launched this call for evidence today.
“It’s only right that drug-drivers must undergo rehabilitation before getting back behind the wheel, helping protect the public from this hidden problem and stamping out drug-driving for good.”
TTC welcomes this news. As the UK’s largest provider of drink driving courses, we initially ran pilot schemes on behalf of the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) and the Welsh Government which saw drug-related topics introduced to the existing Drink Drive course. Course participant feedback was captured throughout the pilot scheme, which evidenced the need for a separate drug-specific rehabilitation course.
“Whilst more evidence and research would be beneficial, we already know that drink drivers are three-times less likely to re-offend having completed a Drink Drive Rehabilitation Course. I can see no reason why a dedicated Drug Driving Rehabilitation Course couldn’t achieve similar behaviour change results nationally.”
TTC delivers Drink Drive courses across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Appointed by the Department for Transport (DfT), the Welsh Government and the Northern Ireland Department for Infrastructure, TTC has been successfully delivering the Drink Drive Rehabilitation Scheme (DDRS) and Courses for Drink Drive Offences (CDDO) for over 25 years.
