I was asked to speak on BBC radio Wiltshire a few weeks ago about the police attempt to increase the use of the roadside impairment test. My overall conclusion was basically that this type of test is largely an ineffectual tool. The procedure, which is similar to that seen in American movies where suspects walk a straight line and places a finger upon their nose, is a legal impairment test at the officers disposal which is seldom used. I took a straw poll in the office and not one of us had been involved in a successful conviction for ‘drug driving offences’ without a blood test having been taken.
The government announced this week that they were going to attempt to put a ‘drugalyser’ in every custody station over the next few years. It appears that it will potentially be a useful tool for the detection of drivers who are under the influences of drugs, however the amount of cases I currently see where the police make errors using the breath test devices at police stations does not lead me to believe that the introduction of new technology will run smoothly.
Damien Simmonds