Driving news
28/01/2011

Driver who had taken eight drugs could have caused car accident

A 32-year-old driver, who was pulled over by police in 2010, and who could have caused a serious car accident and personal injury to other road users, has been released on bail until February 2011.

The suspicions of the policemen in a patrolling police vehicle were raised when they saw a car "leaning heavily to the off-side," and so followed it to observe. While watching the car, the police saw that the driver tried to correct the vehicle's position on the road without much success.

They brought the driver to a stop on the side of the road in Staffordshire with their lights, and saw that "when the defendant got out of the car, he was making long, drawn-out movements and appeared to be unsteady on his feet".

A search of his car uncovered a bag of white powder, suspected by the police officers to be an illegal drug, and the man was arrested.

Tests on the driver showed that he had eight different drugs in his system, including heroin, morphine, opiates and cannabis. The man pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of drugs, and of possessing a class B amphetamine drug.

The man had been receiving Methadone treatment to stop his drug use, but he had relapsed. The addict is now back on his treatment and a pre-sentence report is being prepared for mid February, until which the man is out on bail.

The motorist has been served with an interim driving disqualification until he receives his sentence. His driving under influence could have cause a car accident and resulted in an injured party making a claim.