Brake has been speaking out this week on the desperate need for action to tackle drug driving. We have been continuing to work alongside Natasha and Michaela Groves, mum and aunt of Lillian Groves, a bright 14 year-old whose life was cruelly cut short by a driver on cannabis. Lillian was mown down outside her house, in front of her little brother, in a needless and violent event that has left her family devastated.
Today research published by the British Medical Journal shows that if you drive within three hours of smoking cannabis, your crash risk is doubled. It reinforces an existing body of evidence demonstrating that if you take drugs and drive, you’re putting your own life and the lives of innocent bystanders in great danger. Too often this highly selfish behaviour leads to lives tragically ended, appalling life-changing injuries, and families suffering acutely. Through Brake’s support services, which help families going through the unimaginable experience of a sudden death or serious injury on roads, we regularly hear about the suffering that results from drug driving.
Yet the law on drug driving is grossly inadequate. It’s currently necessary to prove impairment to prosecute for drug driving, and because this isn’t straightforward, prosecutions are few and far between. That’s why we’re working with the Groves to call for Lillian’s Law – a ban on driving with drugs in your system – and drugs testing devices to enable the police to carry out widespread screening.
The government has committed to changing the law, a welcome step forward, and announced an expert panel will be examining the practicalities of this. Given that this change is so overdue, we’re appealing to government to push this through as quickly as possible, and to adopt a tough, zero tolerance stance rather than setting drug drive limits that could let many off the hook. But we also need a commitment from government to introduce roadside screening devices, not just testing equipment in stations. Devices are used at the roadside in numerous other countries to catch drug drivers, and enable a strong, visible deterrent to be posed against this deadly law-breaking. We have the political will to stamp out drug driving; let’s make sure this leads to the tough stance we should take with drivers who risk more families suffering as the Groves have.
Sign the petition for Lillian’s Law
Read more on Brake’s campaign on drink and drug driving and how you can help
Read about Brake and Direct Line’s recent survey on drug driving
