BALLARAT drug drivers will not have their cars impounded the first time they test positive for an illicit substance behind the wheel.
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Police minister Wade Noonan said officers were not able to impound the cars of drug drivers because they cannot measure impairment levels, as they can with alcohol.
The minister’s comments follow state government plans to introduce new drink driving penalties which would impound the cars of first time offenders who record a blood alcohol concentration level of more than 0.1.
Ballarat police nabbed 27 drug drivers, including 12 affected by ice, during Operation Regal across the Queens Birthday weekend.
Six drink drivers were also recorded in Ballarat during the four day blitz.
The high volume of drug driving instances comes months after Ballarat Highway Patrol members became qualified to conduct roadside drug tests.
“The issue in terms of drug testing is that you can’t measure at this point the full impairment, but certainly I think as there are advances in that area, that might be where we get to in time,” Mr Noonan told 3AW on Monday.
“You will have your car impounded for repeat offences associated with drink driving or drug driving.”
Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Rob Hill said there was no immediate way police could determine the drug impairment level of a driver.
“We’ve got a preliminary oral fluid test that we can conduct, then we conduct a secondary test, but that isn’t absolute,” he said.
“We then have to take that sample and that has to be analysed at the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine.”
Police have to wait a further ten days to receive test results to determine what drug was in the driver’s system.
Assistant Commissioner Hill welcomed the day when drug testing technology would be available to measure driver impairment.
“We would be able to test a driver roadside, we would be able to identify what type of drug they had in their system, what the impact that drug would have on their driving ability and then have the legislative framework that would allow us ... to remove the vehicle and remove the driver from the road,” he said.
Mr Noonan said drug drivers could have their vehicles impounded if they were repeat offenders.
The new drink driving laws come into effect on August 1.