Has drug driving overtaken drink driving as the biggest threat on our roads?

On The Hard Shoulder today Newstalk reporter Henry McKean explored what it’s like on the ground for motorists who take drugs and the Gardaí tasked with catching them.

He joined Garda Chris Lynch and Garda Linzi Martin of the Delvin Roads Policing Unit at a checkpoint in Westmeath this week to see just how widespread drug driving was.

Within five minutes they found a driver acting suspiciously.

“As a vehicle approached there was a strong-strong overpowering smell of deodorant,” said Garda Lynch.

“The driver admitted he had deployed a can of deodorant in the vehicle and often times that is done to mask something else.

“From digging deeper, we discovered a few road traffic offences; he doesn’t have his license with him and a few other documentary offences.”

Gardaí performed a drug test on the motorist who then admitted he had used deodorant to mask the smell of cannabis smoke.

First stop

Garda Martin said they then searched the car which “was the first one pulled over” on the day.

“We found a vacuum pack, which this man has admitted under caution, of cannabis,” she said.

"It’s a long time since I’ve seen this, it’s usually grass we see, but this is a block of resin – this would have been old school style where you’d burn it first and then smoke it.

“This gentleman said after caution that it’s for personal use, but there is a lot here and this has turned into a bigger investigation than we had initially thought.”

The reduction in drink driving rates has apparently been lost and replaced by drivers on drugs, so said the Garda Commissioner Drew Harris recently. @HenryMcKean went out to find out exactly how commonplace drug driving is. pic.twitter.com/awesJ0umtH

— NewstalkFM (@NewstalkFM) March 6, 2024

Garda Lynch said it makes him “sad” to see how widespread drug driving has become.

“Cocaine is very prevalent; marijuana would be second to it,” he said.

“Last year we detected 126 drivers under the influence of drugs and I would easily say 70% of that was cocaine.

“It’s not just your local criminals taking this now – it’s everybody.”

Caught

Garda Lynch said drug drivers are often caught through the “simplest road of road traffic offences”.

“Cocaine gives people a sense of overconfidence and you’ll often see overtaking on hatch markings," he said.

“Others think ‘I need to get where I’m going now’ and overtake ten drivers at once – something like that tells us there is something wrong with this driver, they’re overaggressive.

“When you speak to them you will see they are jittery, sweating profusely, muddling their words – it’s very easy to see someone under the influence of an intoxicant.”

Motorist

Henry caught up with one Dublin motorist who said he had driven under the influence of drugs.

“A small joint wouldn’t slow you down a huge lot, but after a big huge yoke – definitely stay away from the car,” he said.

“Having a joint would be more popular than having a drink these days I would argue.”

Anyone convicted of drug driving can be fined up to €5000 or sent to prison for up to six months.

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Main image: A Garda checkpoint: Photo: Tom Douglas