Aus state adds cocaine detection to roadside drug testing

Brisbane, July 10 The government of Australia's Queensland state on Monday said cocaine detection has been added to the random roadside drug testing program to reduce dangerous drivers.

In a statement, the Queensland government said that the addition of cocaine detection to the program is in response to the increasing number of drivers caught with cocaine over the last five years, reports Xinhua news agency.

Previous testing kits were able to detect the presence of methylamphetamine, MDMA or ecstasy, and tetrahydrocannabinol from a sample of saliva.

Under the newly-announced reform, drivers who test positive for cocaine, cannabis, speed, ice, or ecstasy will have their license disqualified, face fines of up to A$2,167 ($1,444), and repeat offenders could receive jail time.

In Queensland, random roadside screening has been used for more than 15 years, with police conducting about 50,000 random tests every year. There is one in four tested motorists returning a positive result for illicit drugs.

"In 2022, 61 people died as a result of crashes that involved a drug driver or rider, representing approximately 20.5 per cent of the lives lost on Queensland roads. This also represents a 30 per cent increase compared to the previous five-year average," said Queensland Police Service Acting Assistant Commissioner Chris Stream.

"Many more Queenslanders could have died or been seriously injured on our roads if police didn't take action," Stream added.