Fleets urged to screen drivers to tackle growing drug driving risk

Fleets should stop burying their heads in the sand and take a proactive approach to the growing problem of drug driving.

That’s according to driver training and compliance company TTC, after data from the Department for Transport (DfT) showed that the number of collisions attributed to drug driving has increased by 170% in less than a decade. 

The Government figures reveal that drug-driving crashes rose from 684 in 2014 to 1,853 in 2023, with fatalities linked to drug driving increasing by 164% over the same period, from 47 in 2014 to 124 in 2023.

Over the period analysed, cocaine, benzoylecgonine, cannabis, morphine and ketamine were the most common drugs detected in deceased drivers.  

Andy Wheeler, training manager at TTC, said: “It is widely recognised that it is the responsibility of fleet managers and companies to ensure their drivers are fit to work, that includes driving for work. And if someone is under the influence of drugs, recreational or medicinal, they are unfit to drive.

“With drug driving significantly on the increase, employers must underscore its socially unacceptable dangers.

“Making sure drivers are properly informed, acknowledge and respect a company-wide policy that includes drug screening and are willing to undertake training is vital.

“By taking a dignified, responsible approach to awareness and behaviour change, employers can positively influence their employees' lifestyles in and out of work.” 

As winter and the festive season fast approaches, TTC reminds businesses and employees that last December the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) reported that 49% of roadside drug tests conducted were positive, compared to 9.5% of breath tests for alcohol.

TTC says it’s clear that while the legal implications of drink driving are widely understood, the consequences of drug driving are woefully unrecognised. 

Wheeler continued: “The fact that almost half of drug driving tests last December were positive represents a potential and staggering 675k fleet drivers that were on our roads, driving at risk to themselves and others.

“The latest DfT data also reported that road fatalities linked to drug driving increased by 164% in less than a decade.

“Whilst many in the fleet sector are positively addressing the challenge of drug driving, unless we take a unified stand, the DfT figures are sadly only likely to rise.” 

Fleet managers can access advice from Fleet News on how best to tackle the growing menace of drug driving by clicking here.