Police ramp up roadside drug testing in statewide crackdown

VICTORIA Police will ramp up roadside testing across the state, with officers promising to carry out more drug tests than ever before.

A $21 million funding boost from the Transport Accident Commission (TAC) will back five projects that will increase drug testing, modernise police technology and help free up officers for more time on patrol.

The funding means an extra 25,000 roadside drug tests will be conducted each year – lifting the annual total to about 175,000 tests.

Police say the increase is needed as drug-impaired driving continues to cause serious harm, after nearly 800 crashes involving drug-affected drivers were recorded in the last financial year.

A new Roadside Impaired Driver Evidence (RIDE) app, designed to dramatically cut the amount of paperwork officers must complete after a drug or alcohol test, will also be rolled out.

Road Policing Assistant Commissioner, Glen Weir, said the increased testing would remove more dangerous drivers from Victorian roads and save lives.

“We will be testing more drivers for drugs than ever before,” he said.

“The development of new technology to automate administrative processes at the roadside also means police can spend less time on paperwork and more time patrolling the roads.”

The funding package also includes 88 extra police vehicles with automatic numberplate recognition to help police identify unlicensed, disqualified or otherwise unauthorised drivers.

Nearly 100 regional stations with one-member will receive upgraded in-car video systems, used to capture unsafe driving, while breath testing equipment, valued at $1.5m, will be replaced.

Roads Minister Melissa Horne said strong enforcement remained one of the most effective deterrents to dangerous behaviour.

“Decades of evidence shows us that enforcement is critical to saving lives and preventing injuries on our roads,” she said.

“That’s why we are throwing our support behind Victoria’s road police to increase drug tests, boost technology to catch unauthorised drivers and reduce time spent doing paperwork.”