Police stepup war ondrug-drivemotorists

DRIVERS under the influence of drugs on North Yorkshire’s roads run the risk of joining George Michael behind bars after more than 100 police officers have been trained to recognise tell-tale signs.

The pop star was sentenced on Tuesday to eight weeks in jail for crashing his car into a photography shop in north London while high on cannabis.

North Yorkshire Police is stepping up its own war on drivers who get behind the wheel while under the influence of drugs.

Since the introduction of Field Impairment Testing (FIT) in October 2009, 149 officers have been trained to conduct roadside drug tests on suspected drivers.

Traffic Sergeant Ian Pope, who was one of the first North Yorkshire Police officers to be FIT-trained, said: “There is no doubt that taking drugs can have a significant impact on the ability to drive safely.

“The dangers are the same as drink driving and the penalties handed out by the courts are equally tough.

“We now have almost 150 officers trained to spot the signs of drug-driving and motorists should be in no doubt that if they get behind the wheel while under the influence of any substance, we will spot them, test them and they will be prosecuted.”

The FIT test consists of a series of “divided attention” tasks which become more difficult depending on the level of intoxication.

In recent months, three people have had fines and driving bans for driving while unfit through drugs, and six more are currently awaiting trial for similar offences.

Sgt Pope added: “With more officers than ever before trained to spot the signs of drug-driving, we are now in a very strong position to make a real impact on this reckless and dangerous practice.”