New law soon to tackle drug-driving

London: A new offence of drug-driving is to be created after David Cameron met the parents of a teenager killed by a speeding driver who had been smoking cannabis.

The prime minister will announce the legislation amid evidence that motorists high on drugs are escaping punishment because of gaps in the law and a lack of specialist equipment for police.

Drug screening technology — the so-called ‘drugalyser' — is currently used only in police stations but, once the law is in place, will be deployed at the roadside in the same way as breathalysers.

Cameron is understood to have decided on the specific offence after seeing the parents of Lillian Groves last week. She was 14 when she was killed by landscape gardener John Page in 2010 in New Addington, Surrey.

Police found a half-smoked joint in his car. Page admitted causing death by dangerous driving and was sentenced to eight months in jail.

A Downing Street source said: "The prime minister is committed to a new drug-driving offence, particularly since meeting the family of Lillian Groves and hearing about her tragic case.

"There is a gap in the law which means it's much more difficult to arrest and prosecute drivers who are high on drugs compared to drivers who are drunk.

"We need to give the police the tools to keep the roads safe, which is why we'll also be looking carefully at the technology needed to enforce this new law."

A study by the Transport Research Laboratory estimated that drugs were a key factor in nearly a quarter of fatal road accidents in the UK.

—