Logan targeted after one in three fail drug-driving tests

Written by Sophie Winter
Edited for online by Eliza Buzacott-Speer

Drivers in Logan are being targeted by police after one in three failed drug-driving tests yesterday.

Of the 92 drivers stopped by police, 30 tested positive for amphetamines.

Logan City Police Station acting senior sergeant Warren Parker says impaired driving by drugs or alcohol is a serious issue, not just in Logan but in all communities across Queensland.

“Impaired driving is one of the fatal five and it is a cause of fatal traffic incidents,” he said.

“For a long time there’s been a strong correlation between drug- and drink-driving and impairments causing traffic incidents.”

Sergeant Parker says the rates of detection of drug-driving in Logan have remained steady.

“Our detection rates have remained the same since the introduction of drug-driving testing measures and we’ve maintained the same strike rate that we have done in the past,” he said.

Organisations such as Lives Lived Well work to eliminate driving under the influence in Queensland communities.

Lived Lives Well associate clinical director Dr Joel Porter says the organisation provides community and residential treatment services as well as individual assistance to drug and alcohol users and their families.

Major roads such as the Logan motorway have been shut down during major crackdowns on drug-driving. — Major roads such as the Logan motorway have been shut down during crackdowns on drug-driving.

“A significant amount of our clients have had a driving-while-intoxicated offence in their history,” he said.

Logan City Council is also targeting the issue of drugs and alcohol and has proposed a number of measures to assist in reducing the number of alcohol and drug-related road accidents.

Road Safety Committee Chair and Deputy Mayor of Logan Russell Lutton says he is working with police and road safety organisations to tackle the issue of drug-driving in Logan.

“We work very closely with the police in major crackdowns,” he said.

“We’ve had a couple of occasions where we’ve shut down the M1 highway, the Logan motorway or the Mt Lindsey highway where our traffic people work very closely with them in providing the back-up that’s needed for the safe control of an RBT in those places.”

He says the only way to solve the drug-driving is to continually push the notion impaired driving is dangerous driving.