The UK road safety charity submitted a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to all 45 police forces in the UK, with 31 forces providing data.
According to the FOI, more than half (51%) of drivers tested positive during roadside testing in 2023, while in 2024, 49% of drivers tested positive in the first seven months of the year.
Between 2022 and 2023, drivers killed under the influence of drugs jumped from 96 to 144. The prime times of the year for catching offenders are during the party season – summer festivals and Christmas. This coincides with Operation Limit, a national policing operation that takes place every year during various festivities to reduce drink and drug driving.
While police do not need a reason to stop a vehicle, they must have a reasonable suspicion that the motorist is under the influence of drugs before asking them to submit to a drug test. A roadside swab test, which identifies whether motorists have taken cannabis or cocaine on the spot, was introduced in 201. However, some forces only started recording data in 2023. IAM RoadSmart said this means the actual number of drivers with drugs detected is likely to be much higher.
IAM RoadSmart policy manager William Porter said:
“The fact that one in two motorists are failing roadside drugs tests shows that the message about the dangers of drug-driving is not getting through.
Separate research by IAM RoadSmart indicates that one in seven (16%) drivers aged 17-34 admitted to getting behind the wheel after taking class A drugs, indicating how vital it is to tackle this growing epidemic. We urgently need a new approach to combat drug-driving which focuses on both greater enforcement and establishing rehabilitation courses to reduce reoffending.”
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