Motorists on medication should carry their prescriptions with them – or risk being prosecuted under new drug-drive laws.
The warning from the Government, motoring lawyers and insurers comes as new legislation covering illegal and prescription drugs comes into effect from Monday.
The hard-hitting limits will be enforced by police equipped with roadside ‘drugalyser’ devices that measure the amount of a drug in the blood, much as a breathalyser does for alcohol.
Ministers say motorists across England and Wales taking medicines should also check with their doctor or pharmacist before getting behind the wheel.
The new drug-drive law sets limits at very low levels – bordering on ‘zero tolerance’ – for eight illegal drugs such as cannabis and cocaine.
Motorists convicted of drug-driving will be banned for at least a year and can be fined up to £5,000, spend up to a year in prison and receive a criminal record.
The penalty for causing death by dangerous driving under the influence of drugs is up to 14 years in jail.
Motoring law expert Tim Williamson, of the law firm Blake Morgan, said: ‘We imagine it will be difficult for a motorist to know with any accuracy whether they are over the legal limits referred to in the regulations and so will have to act with the utmost caution.
‘I would advise drivers to ensure they keep evidence of any prescription with them while driving.’
The drug-driving regulations will sit alongside the existing offence of driving a motor vehicle while impaired by drugs.
Ministers insist most people on prescription drugs can drive as they normally would. A Department for Transport spokesman said: ‘The law is designed to catch people who risk people’s lives by getting behind the wheel after taking drugs – not those taking legitimate medicines that don’t impair their ability to drive.’
Road safety minister Robert Goodwill said: ‘If you are taking medicine as directed and your driving is not impaired, there is no need to worry.
‘For cannabis, cocaine, ecstasy and ketamine, and four other commonly-abused drugs, if they’re detected in the blood above a set level it will be enough to charge people with drug-driving.
‘We’ve set the levels as low as we reasonably can – low enough that one smoke of cannabis is likely to put an offender over the limit, but high enough so suspects can’t claim drugs were inhaled accidentally.’
Drivers impaired by drugs are responsible for up to 200 deaths a year in Britain, and ministers say the new rules could prevent up to 84 deaths and more than 330 serious injuries in the next 20 years.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2971317/Medication-new-drug-drive-limit-Motorists-suffering-epilepsy-insomnia-anxiety-advised-carry-prescriptions-them.html#ixzz3Sv9J5OtW
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