Watch more of our videos on Shots!
and live on Freeview channel 276

Some 1,463 drug-drivers were convicted in Lancashire from 2015 to 2020, making the county the 10th worst place in the UK for offences, according to a report by private rehab clinic, Delamere.

Meanwhile, one-fifth of Britain’s drug-driving offences were committed in the North-West.

Catherine Carney, a Delamere psychiatrist and addiction specialist, said: “Ironically, it can be the very same impaired judgement caused by the presence of drugs in the bloodstream that influences a motorist’s decision to drive while intoxicated.

Tetrahydrocannabinol - found in cannabis - is the most commonly recorded drug in the bloodstream of British drivers under the influence, according to a Delamere report.

“Not only do drugs interfere with your ability to make informed decisions, they also slow down your reaction times, reduce your concentration, and alter the way you process information. Drugs also severely affect your ability to multitask — something that operating a vehicle requires you to do at all times.“Making the decision to drive while under the influence of an illegal substance isn’t just harmful to yourself, it also poses a serious risk for those around you, too. In fact, one in 20 road fatalities is caused by drug driving.

Drug-driver was also found to be two-and-a-half times over drink drive-limit aft...

“If you become aware of a drug driver, or worry that you yourself may be unfit to operate a vehicle — whether due to drugs prescribed by your doctor or an illegal substance — your decision to not drive, or intercept a drug driver, could save someone’s life.”

Tetrahydrocannabinol is the most commonly recorded drug in the bloodstream of British drivers under the influence, according to the report. This psychoactive substance produces the ‘"high” feeling when smoking cannabis. Since 2015, there have been 40,281 arrests of UK drivers with tetrahydrocannabinol in their systems.

Benzoylecgonine — the main metabolite of cocaine – is the second most common drug found in drug drivers. Some 21,461 arrests have been linked to benzoylecgonine.

Commenting on a spike in substance abuse since the start of the pandemic, Martin Preston, Delamere’s chief executive, said: “It’s during times of stress and uncertainty that mind-altering substances become more attractive to individuals, for the simple reason that they offer an escape from the current reality.”

For more information, please visit https://delamere.com/blog/uk-drug-addiction-report-2022

Lancashire named one of the top 10 worst locations in Britain for drug-driving