There is now a "significant" problem with motorists driving under the influence of drugs in Ireland, with more than one in six drivers tested for alcohol testing positive for drugs, a new study suggests.
Driving under the Influence of Drugs in Ireland,carried out by the Medical Bureau of Road Safety (MBRS), says 68 per cent of drivers with essentially zero levels of alcohol were positive for one or more drugs.
In addition, many tested drivers had a combination of high alcohol levels together with drugs in their systems, with cannabis the most common.
Among the 15.7 per cent tested drivers who were positive for some drug, six out of 10 showed a positive result for cannabis. Two per cent of those tested had taken amphetamines, 1.3 per cent had opiates in their system and 1 per cent had taken cocaine.
Drivers under the alcohol limit were more likely to have taken drugs than those over the limit.
Although over 90 per cent of the drivers stopped and tested were male, the prevalence of drug taking was similar in males and females.
"The typical profile of the driving under the influence of drugs driver apprehended and tested is young, male, driving in an urban area with low or zero alcohol level with a specimen provided between the hours of 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. with the presence of cannabinoids," the study says.
"There is also the profile of the middle-aged driver with benzodiazepines present. Benzodiazepines are legally prescribed drugs, which are central nervous system depressants. They can impair driving in the same way alcohol does."
The authors say the survey highlights the need for education and awareness in relation to driving under the influence of drugs. It says road users, legislators, the gardai, doctors, pharmacists and the courts all need to be targeted and that a media campaign should be initiated "as soon as possible".
Driving under the influence of drugs (DUID) is illegal under the 1961 Road Traffic Act.
The MBRS was commissioned by the Department of the Environment and Local Government to carry out the survey, which was conducted on blood and urine samples of drivers stopped by the gardai during 2000 and 2001.
Some 2,000 samples were tested - 1,000 under the limit for alcohol and 1,000 over the limit.