Police might soon be able to use saliva tests for illegal drugs during roadside checks, according to amendments to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例), which is pending approval by legislators.
Government officials yesterday said that there has been an increase in traffic incidents in which drivers were under the influence of drugs, such as etomidate, adding that they were seeking preventive measures.
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) during a Cabinet meeting this week instructed Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) to address the problem by drafting amendments that would allow traffic police to administer the saliva test on people suspected to be on drugs.
Photo: Chou Min-hung, Taipei Times
The Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said that in 2023, 269 car and motorcycle drivers were found to be under the influence of drugs and were charged with offenses against public safety.
That number increased to 1,991 cases last year, it said, adding that for the first six months of this year, it had risen to 3,116 cases.
The main reasons for the spike are a surge in young people vaping, with some using pods laced with etomidate, ketamine or other recreational drugs, and expanded roadside checks by police officers who have been able to better notice signs that a driver is under the influence of alcohol or drugs, CIB officials said.
Police could administer a breath test to check a person’s blood alcohol content, but they cannot carry out an illegal drug test on site, they said.
A urine sample would be collected instead, and they would have to wait for the results of a lab analysis, which could take a few days, they added.
If police officers search the person and their vehicle, and do not find illegal drugs (and the driver does not admit to consuming drugs), they would have to let the driver go, the CIB said.
Police cannot further question or detain the driver, they said, adding that there had been legal challenges to such cases in the past.
News reports indicate Taiwan university research teams have worked to develop a rapid saliva drug screening device that comes with a portable, lightweight chemical analysis kit which could detect ketamine, amphetamine, heroin, cannabis and etomidate, and only takes a few minutes to get results.
Chen at yesterday’s “Traffic Safety Month” event told reporters that he would ensure that ministry officials fully comply with Cho’s directives, adding that meetings would be convened to discuss the amendments, which would include procedures and instructions for police carrying out the drug tests.
Cho said civil groups have called on the government to take action after a 41-year-old driver swerved into students on a road in Changhua County in April, resulting in eight injured students and one in serious condition.
A test indicated that the man had consumed multiple synthetic drugs and was under the influence while he was driving.
He has been arrested and charged.
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