The Government is set to begin random roadside drug testing next year in a bid to prevent drugged driving.
Roadside drug testing will commence in early 2023, and will take a similar approach to alcohol breath testing. Te Manatū Waka Ministry of Transport, New Zealand Police, and Waka Kotahi will collaborate to implement the regime over the next 12 months.
This comes following the passing of the Land Transport (Drug Driving) Amendment legislation, which gives police the power to conduct random oral fluid testing and determines blood infringement thresholds and criminal limits for 25 common drugs.
The drugs listed are: Alprazolam, Amphetamine, Buprenorphine, Clonazepam, Cocaine, Codeine, Diazepam, Dihydrocodeine, Fentanyl, GHB, Ketamine, Lorazepam, MDMA, Methadone, Methamphetamine, Midazolam, Morphine, Nitrazepam, Oxazepam, Oxycodone, Temazepam, THC (cannabis), Tramadol, Triazolam and Zopiclone.
Transport Minister, Michael Wood, says the random roadside drug testing will help to reduce serious harm on the roads. The legislation has been "carefully developed," says Wood, based on the best scientific evidence available.
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"In both 2020 and 2019, over 100 people were killed in crashes where a driver was found to have had drugs in their system. This legislation directly addresses these preventable crashes, and will lead to safer roads for all."
"This is just one action we are taking as a part of our Government's Road to Zero strategy to save the lives of people on our roads."
Police Minister, Poto Williams, says Kiwis need to stop accepting death and injury as a result of driving.
"By targeting this high-risk behaviour, we can reduce the trauma caused by drug-impaired driving. Police have the important job of keeping Kiwis safe on our roads and this legislation provides them with better tools for drug driving enforcement," Williams says.
"This legislation complements other Road to Zero action, which includes investing $1.2 billion for road policing over the next three years."
"Driving under the influence of drugs is a major safety issue on our roads, and this legislation shows that our Government is doing something about it."
AA road safety spokesperson, Dylan Thomsen, welcomes the idea and says it will save countless lives.
"This decision has been a long time coming and the AA congratulates the Government for a significant step forward in road safety," says Thomsen.
"The AA has been calling for this since 2011 and the introduction of roadside testing devices will not only be welcomed by the vast majority of drivers but also many of the families that have lost loved ones because of a drug-impaired driver."
Thomsen believes drugged and drunk driving is a massive problem that New Zealand hasn't been doing enough about.
"The key things now are to get police officers equipped and trained to be able to start doing roadside testing as quickly as possible and also to make sure there is adequate investment and resources for it to be effective.
"The number of alcohol tests of drivers has halved in recent years and we need to get this back up to its previous levels plus having drug testing in addition to that.
"The key aim is to deter people from taking the risk of driving after taking drugs or drinking, and that means we need significant numbers of tests taking place. Knowing that they will be able to be tested and caught is going to send a much stronger message to not drive if you are impaired by drugs."