NSW Police have spent millions of dollars to nearly triple the number of roadside drug tests conducted in the past four years | pallavisinghal_
The number of deaths from crashes involving a driver or rider who had an illegal drug in their system stabilised, with 75 in 2015 and 74 in 2019.Despite the limited rise in positive results, the NSW government is planning to increase drug testing this year, with a goal of 200,000 roadside tests, according to the Centre for Road Safety.
"Deterring drivers who have recently used illicit drugs from taking the risk of driving is critical in reducing fatalities and serious injuries on NSW roads." NSW Police received more than $36 million from Transport for NSW in road safety grants for drug and alcohol screening last year, about $11.6 million of which was spent on roadside drug testing.
Professor in criminology at the University of Sydney Murray Lee said positive results as a proportion of tests was falling due to the increase in the number of tests, which could indicate the program was successful."There's a pretty good argument for testing [for drugs] but you could also argue that there's not a lot to be gained from expanding it if you're picking up the same sorts of numbers, it might not be the best use of resources," Professor Lee said.
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