Car insurance providers in drug-driving crackdown

Posted :30-01-2006

Leading car insurance providers are to crackdown on drug-driving after experts warned it could soon replace drink-driving as the primary cause of deaths on British roads.

Radio station Kiss 100 FM held an online survey during which it asked young drivers if they had ever driven while under the influence and if so, to what degree they had been influenced.

The survey concluded that 40 per cent of young drivers had driven while under the influence of drugs. More than half of those admitted that their driving had been impaired, whilst almost one in five had been "very impaired".

As a result, car insurance providers are cracking down on those found guilty of drug-driving in much the same way as they do with drink-drivers.

Tony Allen, chief executive of A&A Group, said: "People might think they can get away with drug-driving more so than drink-driving but that's a myth," Carpages quoted him as saying.

"While it is technically prosecuted under the same law as drink-driving - driving while under the influence of drink or drugs - it is a double whammy because taking drugs is illegal in itself. So you can get prosecuted for driving while under the influence as well as possession.

"We do take all factors into consideration when assessing people for insurance and will treat each case individually. Those convicted of drug-driving are no different."

Although there has been an eight per cent reduction in the overall number of deaths on the roads in Britain, the mortality rate for young drivers has risen by 12 per cent over the same period.


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