1 00:00:00,400 --> 00:00:03,480 Speaker 1: New roadside drug testing is coming. Starts in Wellington next 2 00:00:03,520 --> 00:00:06,640 Speaker 1: month everywhere from April next year saliva tests. This is 3 00:00:06,680 --> 00:00:10,440 Speaker 1: for cannabis, meth, MDMA, ecstasy, that sort of stuff. Dylan 4 00:00:10,480 --> 00:00:13,880 Speaker 1: Thompson is our Road Safety joining us this morning. Dylan, 5 00:00:13,880 --> 00:00:17,479 Speaker 1: good morning, Good morning, Ryan. Hey, this is going to 6 00:00:17,480 --> 00:00:18,280 Speaker 1: make things safer. 7 00:00:19,880 --> 00:00:22,840 Speaker 2: Absolutely in our view, we think this has been something 8 00:00:22,840 --> 00:00:26,000 Speaker 2: that New Zealanders needed for a lot of years. We 9 00:00:26,160 --> 00:00:29,680 Speaker 2: have had about one hundred road death a year in 10 00:00:29,760 --> 00:00:33,640 Speaker 2: recent times where subsequent tests have found drugs in the 11 00:00:33,720 --> 00:00:37,239 Speaker 2: driver's system that were deemed to have likely played a 12 00:00:37,320 --> 00:00:41,040 Speaker 2: role in the crash. So we're finally about to sort 13 00:00:41,040 --> 00:00:44,000 Speaker 2: of catch up and start to have some decent enforcement 14 00:00:44,120 --> 00:00:45,479 Speaker 2: tools to try and stop this. 15 00:00:45,840 --> 00:00:47,480 Speaker 1: Okay, so that was going to be my next question. 16 00:00:47,560 --> 00:00:50,280 Speaker 1: So they likely played a role in the crash, So 17 00:00:50,400 --> 00:00:53,519 Speaker 1: thirty percent of crashes they had drugs in their system, 18 00:00:54,320 --> 00:00:57,320 Speaker 1: not just that they also likely caused the crash. 19 00:00:58,360 --> 00:01:00,720 Speaker 2: Well, I would change that so lightly and say that 20 00:01:00,720 --> 00:01:04,080 Speaker 2: they played a role in the crash. So the crash 21 00:01:04,160 --> 00:01:09,039 Speaker 2: investigations are done and a blood test gets done in 22 00:01:09,080 --> 00:01:13,039 Speaker 2: a lab and it finds because not every driver involved 23 00:01:13,080 --> 00:01:16,360 Speaker 2: in a fatal crash has their bloods tested for drugs. 24 00:01:16,360 --> 00:01:20,280 Speaker 2: So it's a situation where the police officers investigating have thought, 25 00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:24,080 Speaker 2: we would like to do a blood test and then 26 00:01:24,200 --> 00:01:27,720 Speaker 2: they deem that we think that the drugs likely played 27 00:01:27,720 --> 00:01:30,400 Speaker 2: a role in causing the crash. 28 00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:34,160 Speaker 1: And can they tell because I think what the some 29 00:01:34,200 --> 00:01:36,360 Speaker 1: of the concerns have been about this is about the 30 00:01:36,480 --> 00:01:39,120 Speaker 1: level of So is someone impaired by drugs or do 31 00:01:39,240 --> 00:01:41,039 Speaker 1: they just have them in their system? You know what 32 00:01:41,080 --> 00:01:41,520 Speaker 1: I'm saying? 33 00:01:42,440 --> 00:01:47,160 Speaker 2: Yeah, and that is trickier than alcohol without a doubt. 34 00:01:47,640 --> 00:01:51,160 Speaker 2: The tests that are being introduced in New Zealand, so 35 00:01:51,200 --> 00:01:55,040 Speaker 2: the saliva tests are designed to try and detect recent 36 00:01:55,600 --> 00:02:01,200 Speaker 2: use and so that is somebody has likely to have 37 00:02:01,360 --> 00:02:03,280 Speaker 2: used one of those four drugs that are going to 38 00:02:03,280 --> 00:02:08,080 Speaker 2: be tested for at the roadside within a couple of 39 00:02:08,120 --> 00:02:11,120 Speaker 2: hours of getting in the car. That's that's the way 40 00:02:11,160 --> 00:02:14,000 Speaker 2: they're designed to work and pick things up. 41 00:02:14,160 --> 00:02:16,280 Speaker 1: And what about the because I note that they said 42 00:02:16,320 --> 00:02:19,040 Speaker 1: it would take five minutes per car, is this going 43 00:02:19,080 --> 00:02:21,720 Speaker 1: to be rolled out like breathalyzer tests? And is that 44 00:02:22,040 --> 00:02:23,520 Speaker 1: you know, is everyone going to be waiting in a 45 00:02:23,560 --> 00:02:25,640 Speaker 1: line for four hours if they do this or is 46 00:02:25,639 --> 00:02:27,639 Speaker 1: it just on a one on you a one off 47 00:02:27,720 --> 00:02:29,799 Speaker 1: basis that they see a car and then they pull 48 00:02:29,840 --> 00:02:30,679 Speaker 1: it over and do that. 49 00:02:32,320 --> 00:02:34,440 Speaker 2: The way it's going to work is what the law 50 00:02:34,520 --> 00:02:39,000 Speaker 2: now allows is police have the ability to test any 51 00:02:39,080 --> 00:02:43,240 Speaker 2: driver for drugs if they want to. But the way 52 00:02:43,280 --> 00:02:45,040 Speaker 2: it's going to go in reality is we're not going 53 00:02:45,040 --> 00:02:48,720 Speaker 2: to see drug testing done in the same volume, the 54 00:02:48,360 --> 00:02:51,519 Speaker 2: same scale as the alcohol tests the way it's normally 55 00:02:51,520 --> 00:02:54,840 Speaker 2: done overseas as an alcohol test has done first, because 56 00:02:54,840 --> 00:02:58,280 Speaker 2: that's pretty quick and if that comes back negative, but 57 00:02:58,360 --> 00:03:02,520 Speaker 2: a police officer says the striver's behavior is making me 58 00:03:03,040 --> 00:03:05,079 Speaker 2: think that they may be under the influence of something, 59 00:03:05,200 --> 00:03:07,960 Speaker 2: then they can ask that person to pull over to 60 00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:09,679 Speaker 2: the side of the road somewhere and go to a 61 00:03:09,760 --> 00:03:13,280 Speaker 2: drug test, which the first one normally would be done 62 00:03:13,280 --> 00:03:14,760 Speaker 2: in sort of three to five minutes. 63 00:03:15,200 --> 00:03:17,880 Speaker 1: Dylant, appreciate your time this morning. Dyan Thompson from AA 64 00:03:18,720 --> 00:03:19,320 Speaker 1: For more. 65 00:03:19,160 --> 00:03:20,960 Speaker 2: From Early Edition with Ryan Bridge. 66 00:03:21,040 --> 00:03:24,640 Speaker 1: Listen live to News Talks it'd be from five am weekdays, 67 00:03:24,760 --> 00:03:26,799 Speaker 1: or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.