'Absolutely shocking': 50% of Scottish drivers failed drug tests after being stopped by police

The revelation was described as “absolutely shocking” by the Scottish Conservatives, who called for more traffic police to crack down on the crime.

Police Scotland’s head of road policing called on people to report motorists taking drugs because offences were being detected “far too regularly”.

Motoring group IAM RoadSmart, which published the figures, obtained from a Freedom of Information request, on Thursday, said drug driving was becoming more prevalent and urged rehabilitation courses to cut reoffending.

The Scotsman has previously highlighted the increasing scale of the problem, with Police Scotland revealing four years ago that officers were catching as many drug drivers as drink drivers thanks to new roadside test kits introduced in 2019.

IAM RoadSmart said that across Britain, UK government figures showed the number of drivers killed in crashes with “impairment drugs” present increased by more than 70 per cent between 2014 and 2022.

The Police Scotland figures obtained by the group showed 2,360 of the 5,231 drivers - 50 per cent - tested in 2023 failed the test.

The proportion who failed between January and July last year increased to 52 per cent - 1,722 of the 3,302 drivers tested. The monthly total number of failures peaked at 270 in January 2024.

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IAM RoadSmart said police must have a reasonable suspicion that a driver is under the influence of drugs before pulling them over to take a roadside test, which detects cannabis or cocaine.

Convicted motorists face a minimum one-year driving ban and an unlimited fine or up to six months in prison, which stays on their driving licence for 11 years.

The motoring group said such drivers were also likely to face significantly higher insurance premiums and may have trouble travelling to countries such as the USA.

IAM RoadSmart policy manager William Porter said: “The fact that one in two motorists are failing roadside drugs tests shows that the message about the dangers of drug-driving is not getting through.

“Separate research by IAM RoadSmart indicates that one in seven - 16 per cent - drivers aged 17 to 34 admitted getting behind the wheel after taking class A drugs, indicating how vital it is to tackle this growing epidemic.

“We urgently need a new approach to combat drug driving, which focuses on both greater enforcement and establishing rehabilitation courses to reduce reoffending. The evidence shows that those taking equivalent drink-drive courses are almost three times less likely to reoffend than those who don’t.”

Chief Superintendent Hilary Sloan, of Police Scotland, said: “Despite roadside drug testing being in place for more than five years and our continued efforts to raise awareness of the dangers associated with taking drugs and driving, our officers continue to detect offences far too regularly.

"Driving after taking drugs can have serious or even fatal consequences, impacting not only the driver, but all those involved, including family and friends, and everyone needs take seriously their personal responsibility to ensure they are fit to drive.

"Police Scotland is committed to taking action against those who selfishly put others at risk by driving after consuming alcohol or taking drugs. I would encourage people to report drink or drug drivers or concerning behaviour to us.

“Officers will act on this information to stop offenders before they injure or kill themselves or someone else.”

Scottish Conservatives transport spokesperson Sue Webber said: “These figures are absolutely shocking. Anyone caught driving under the influence of drugs should face the severest of consequences.

“There must be a zero tolerance attitude towards those who think getting behind the wheel under the influence of drugs is ever acceptable. They are recklessly putting not only their own life at risk, but those of others too.

“The appalling figures also demonstrate how important it is to boost the number of road traffic officers, which are at a five-year low. The SNP should show some common sense and stop cutting the police budget to ensure there are enough officers to patrol our roads and have the resources to crack down these offences.”

Scottish Labour transport spokesperson Claire Baker said: “These stark figures highlight the need for action to tackle the scourge of drug driving. The SNP must use every lever it has to address this issue and make our roads safer – including better prevention, consistent enforcement and a plan to reduce re-offending.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Any injury or death as a result of drug driving is one too many. To the minority of drivers who continue to ignore the law, our message is clear – drink or drug driving is illegal and can ruin lives.

“The Scottish Government allocated a record £36 million to road safety in 2024-25, some of which is being used to deliver national campaigns addressing those behaviours which cause most harm on our roads. Many of these campaigns support Police Scotland activity which seeks to encourage safe road use. The funding also seeks to promote action and investment by local authorities to address local concerns.”