Drug-driving detection rate comes in below that of Victoria
Of the 1799 truck drivers drug tested in New South Wales at the start of Operation Austrans, 20 returned positive readings, police report.
That equates with a rate of one in 90, which is better than Victoria’s one in 37 and the reported national figure of one in 68.
Drivers returning a positive reading, saw their licences suspended on the spot, police say, and a further test will be undertaken before potential charges are laid.
“Mobile Drug Testing is an important part of ensuring that those that drive freight around Australia do so safely,” Assistant commissioner Michael Corboy, of the state’s Traffic & Highway Patrol Command, notes.
“Those that we detect are put off the roads where samples provided are subject of further analysis, pending court action, putting their licence, and livelihood at great risk.
“Given the number of tests undertaken on Monday, these results are certainly an indicator that drug driving is not tolerated on NSW roads.”