A CALL for the government to push through proposals on tackling drug driving has been made by road safety charity Brake.
It follows a study revealing that one in nine young drivers has been behind the wheel on illegal drugs in the past year.
The survey, by Brake and Direct Line car insurance, found that three per cent of drivers aged 17-24 said they get behind the wheel after taking drugs once a month or more.
Slightly more young drivers are admitting drug driving than four years ago, when one in 11 owned up to this potentially deadly behaviour.
Brake, together with the family of Lillian Groves who was killed aged 14 by a driver who had been smoking cannabis, is urging the government to follow through on its promise to tackle drug driving urgently.
They are calling for reform, including a new law making it an offence to drive while on illegal drugs, to rectify the current loophole.
Currently it is only an offence to drive while impaired by drugs, meaning police must prove impairment to prosecute.
They also want approval and roll-out of roadside drug screening devices, so police can test for drugs at the roadside and immediately following a crash.
Brake’s senior campaigns officer Ellen Booth said: “The risks of driving on drugs are huge, and the consequences devastating – yet a huge proportion of young drivers are taking this appalling gamble with their own and others’ lives.
“We need all drivers to pledge to never mix drugs and driving, and we need the government to follow through with its commitment to tackle this problem.
“For too long the law on drug driving has been totally inadequate. We need a ban on driving with illegal drugs in your system, and we need roadside drugalysers. The longer this takes, the more lives will be violently and tragically lost.”
Prime Minister David Cameron has admitted that change has ‘taken too long’ and promised to speed up the process.