Brussels (Brussels Morning Newspaper): In Belgium, nearly 13,000 drivers were caught driving under the influence of drugs, doubling from a decade ago. MP Benoît Lutgen advocates for more systematic drug checks to improve road safety.
Nearly 13,000 drivers were caught driving under the influence of drugs, averaging about 36 per day. This is double the number from ten years ago, mainly because police are doing more drug checks now. However, the party, Les Engagés, believes that the current police efforts are still not enough. MP Benoît Lutgen says that driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol is still one of the top three causes of deadly traffic accidents, and drug driving is higher than the average in Europe.
How will Belgium implement systematic drug checks during traffic stops?
MP Benoît Lutgen’s party has decided to make drug checks during traffic stops easier and more automatic. They believe that allowing police to conduct drug tests along with alcohol tests will send a stronger message against drug use on the roads, whether an accident has happened or not. The Flemish socialists support this idea as a way to improve road safety. However, implementing these systematic drug checks could be more expensive than alcohol tests.
According to Vias, a road safety group, saliva tests for drugs cost a lot more than breath tests for alcohol. They note that while drinking and driving happens in all ages, drug use is mostly seen in younger people. Vias wants more checks for alcohol and drugs on the roads, especially for drugs that current tests can’t find. The police are now using special devices that can detect drug traces on car steering wheels, which shows the driver may have used drugs recently, and then they do a saliva test. However, there aren’t many of these devices available across the country.
