Drug drivers could be forced to go on rehab courses before driving again

People who take drugs and drive could be forced to go on rehabilitation courses before being allowed behind the wheel again.

The proposals aim to stop repeatedly offending, with figures showing that nearly 50% of drug-driving crimes are committed by those who have previously been convicted.

Currently, drug drivers are given a driving ban, prison sentence or fine but are not currently required to complete rehabilitation courses such as those offered to drink-drivers.

But Transport Secretary Grant Shapps wants to also make people take a course.

His department says there were more than 12,000 convictions for drug-driving in Britain in 2019, with 44% committed by repeat offenders.

It adds that non-attendees of drink-driving rehabilitation classes are more than twice as likely to reoffend within three years.

Launching a consultation, Mr 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.’

The RAC’s head of roads policy, Nicholas Lyes, said: ‘Drug-driving ruins lives and threatens the safety of all road users.

‘We welcome proposals to offer drug-driving offenders rehabilitation courses, in the same way those caught drink-driving are offered them, because the evidence shows this helps to reduce reoffending and improves road safety.’

The call for evidence will also seek views on medicinal cannabis to ‘ensure road safety policy keeps up to date with changing societal norms’, the department for transport said.

A risk-based approach is taken for specific drugs associated with medical use, meaning it can be legal to drive after taking them if they were prescribed.

It is also illegal in Britain to drive with certain banned drugs, such as cocaine or cannabis, in your system.

Any new legislation passed in Westminster would apply to Britain’s roads but not those in Northern Ireland.

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