Blood tests for car crash victims
Mandatory blood tests for car crash victims and more random roadside drug tests are the next strategies to be rolled out by road safety authorities in a bid to combat WA’s atrocious road toll.
Office of Road Safety executive director Iain Cameron told a parliamentary committee hearing today authorities were becoming “increasingly worried about drug driving” after years of primarily targeting alcohol intoxication.
Historically, drug testing has been targeted at problem areas like the trucking industry and party scene, but Mr Cameron said the office would “sit down with police and look at a change of tactic” to make it more “mainstream”.
Mr Cameron revealed the office was keen to follow road safety leader Victoria in permitting police to obtain blood samples from car crash victims to determine intoxication.
The medical fraternity has in the past baulked at the idea because its primary concern when treating car crash victims is their welfare.
It has been law in Victorian from 2009 for car crash victims older than 15 taken to hospital to give blood samples, regardless of whether they were driving.
Mr Cameron explained that authorities were shying away from “shock horror” advertising campaigns because “our ability to shock and horrify people in a prime time ad is nothing compared to what some young people can watch in a video game”.
Road Safety Council chairman Murray Lampard told the community development and justice committee he had not been happy when Cabinet approved just $4.6 million in 2014-15 for increased breath and drug testing, when the council had recommended $12 million be spent.
RAC policy and research senior manager Anne Still said drug driving was “an emerging issue”.
WA recorded 184 deaths on its roads last year, the State’s worst result for four years.
