Drug driving reforms

The new rules mean anyone who provides a positive roadside test to an illicit substance or refuses to take a roadside drug test can be immediately suspended from driving for 24 hours.

Breaching the 24 hour prohibition notice will result in a $600 infringement.

Road Safety Commissioner Adrian Warner said the new rules were a common-sense approach to make our roads safer.

“By automatically taking drug drivers off the road for 24 hours, we are removing an immediate risk that may exist for other road users,” Road Safety Commissioner Adrian Warner said.

“Police have always had the power to take someone off the road if they considered that person to be a risk to other drivers, but this new legislation takes a tougher stance and works to the assumption that if you have drugs in your system, you are a risk to the community and will be taken off the road immediately.

“While the new rules will provide an immediate safety benefit by taking potentially dangerous drivers off the road, I am confident the tougher stance will also have a deterrent effect by making more drivers think twice before they consume an illicit substance and get behind the wheel.”

The 24-hour driving ban is a measure to enhance road safety and will not replace existing drug driving penalties.