GUIDE: Drug Driving - The law and the penalties for driving under the influence of drugs

The law and the penalties for driving under the influence of drugs

It’s illegal to drive if either:

you’re unfit to do so because you’re on legal or illegal drugs
you have certain levels of illegal drugs in your blood (even if they have not affected your driving)

For more information, follow the link here.

If stopped by the police:

You may be asked to do a ‘field impairment assessment’ if they think you’re on drugs
A roadside drug kit can be used to screen for cannabis and cocaine
If you are unfit to drive because of taking drugs, you will be arrested and will have to take a blood or urine test at a police station
You could be charged with a crime if the test shows you’ve taken drugs.

It’s illegal in England, Scotland and Wales to drive with legal drugs in your body if it impairs your driving.

It’s an offence to drive if you have over the specified limits of certain drugs in your blood and have not been prescribed them.

The law does not cover Northern Ireland, but you could still be arrested if you’re unfit to drive.

You can drive after taking prescription drugs if:

You’ve been prescribed them and followed advice on how to take them by a healthcare professional, and not been advised to stop driving
They aren’t causing you to be unfit to drive even if you’re within the specified limits.

For more information on threshold levels of legal and illegal drugs, follow the link here.

A conviction for drug driving also means:

Your insurance costs will increase significantly
A conviction will stay on your licence for 11 years and be visible to your employer (this may impact your job)
You may have trouble travelling and obtaining visas.

You must tell DVLA if you’ve used illegal drugs or misused prescription drugs, using the forms here - Drug Use and Driving

For more information on Driver and Fleet safety visit the Arval Safety Hub