Pubdate: Wed, 07 Apr 2004
Source: Dominion Post, The (New Zealand)
Copyright: 2004 The Dominion Post
Contact:  http://www.dompost.co.nz
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2550
Author: Haydon Dewes
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?224 (Cannabis and Driving)

POLICE SET FOR DRIVER DRUG TESTS

Police are to begin learning how to detect drugged drivers - part of a a 
year-long project to determine the scope of the problem in New Zealand.

About 32 frontline officers will undergo three days of training this month 
on drug recognition and "field impairment" tests, a series of balance tests 
used by neurologists on motorists thought to be on drugs.

The training would later be given to other frontline staff and would 
eventually be included in police recruits' initial training, national road 
safety manager Superintendent Steve Fitzgerald said yesterday.

Police would examine drivers' pupil dilation and those suspected of having 
used drugs would be put through a range of coordination tests. If a person 
failed those tests, they would be observed by a medical practitioner, who 
would decide whether they were capable of driving.

Mr Fitzgerald said the roadside testing methods were scientific and police 
did not have to rely on a bodily sample to secure a conviction. Blood tests 
were impractical because they could cost up to $3000 a person if police 
were unsure what drug had been consumed and they showed only the presence 
of drugs, not how badly the person was affected.

Trained officers would be 95 per cent accurate in determining if people 
were on drugs.

The pilot scheme is set to start in June and is expected to run for at 
least a year. During that time, people found to be incapacitated by drugs 
would be charged, but the main purpose was to determine the size of the 
problem.

The Automobile Association said it supported the project. A recent survey 
of members had shown that 80 per cent strongly supported roadside drug testing.

Land Transport Safety Authority was "right behind" the project, a spokesman 
said.
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MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager