The police are arresting more and more motorists who drive under the influence of drugs. While more than 1,800 official reports were drawn up in 2017 for drug use behind the wheel, in 2021 there were more than 13,000. This is evident from nu.nl requested police figures, which NRC were seen on Monday.
Over the past five years, there has been an annual increase in drug users caught taking part in traffic. More than 5,400 drivers were arrested under the influence in 2018, nearly 10,000 in 2019 and nearly 12,000 in 2020. This year, 2,650 motorists have already been arrested with drugs in January and February. Since 2017, the police have been using a saliva test to show whether a driver is under the influence of drugs. That is why the figures have been kept from that year. Before that, it was not a demonstrable criminal offense and officers could only write down signals, such as ‘big pupils’.
Also read: ‘I thought smoking weed was possible behind the wheel’
Police cannot say for sure whether the increase is related to an actual increase in drug use behind the wheel. This should be investigated, says a spokesperson for the police force management against NRC† According to the police, it is not the case that there are many more drug checks, but the spokesperson does indicate that in recent years agents have been checking more “between traffic” and that they recognized deviant driving behavior more quickly, especially in the tight traffic during the lockdowns.
Bob you or bob me?
One reason drug users are getting behind the wheel, according to the police spokesman, may be that the effect of drugs on the body is still misjudged. “If you took an ecstasy pill last night, it could still be in your blood today.” Last year, a study by the TeamAlert foundation, an organization that promotes safe participation in traffic among young people, showed that people who drive under the influence of drugs do not properly assess the danger. The Trimbos Institute states that smoking a weed joint only takes after six to eight hours is no longer detectable in your saliva. With ecstasy, it takes more than sixteen to forty hours.
“People talk to each other much more about the use of alcohol when they still have to drive than about drug use,” said the spokesman. The requested figures show that since 2017 the number of procedural reports issued for drinking behind the wheel has decreased. The police cannot provide a direct cause for this either. “Bob you or bob me; that is much more socially accepted. In this way, people know better the consequences of alcohol use on driving behaviour,” the spokesperson estimates. “We should hold each other accountable for drug use.”
A week ago, the police in Gelderland caught 45 drivers in a weekend driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol, reported the Gelderlander† In the same weekend, according to the Steenwijker Courant 23 motorists arrested in Overijssel.