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New research revealed one in 10 young male drivers admit to driving
after taking illegal drugs. A recent survey undertaken across
Cambridgeshire concluded that 23 per cent of all respondents had
driven after taking drugs.
Local and regional radio adverts
produced by the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Road Safety
Partnership and featuring real-life cases will run for the rest of
August to support the new campaign.
The hard-hitting advert features a
mother talking about the loss of her son in a crash involving a drug
driver. She describes in harrowing detail how two policemen knocked
on her door in the early hours of a Sunday morning to say her son
had been killed in a car crash. She later discovered her son’s
partner and brother had also died in the same collision.
Clair George, road safety officer
for the SaferPeterborough partnership, said: "Driving under the
influence of drugs, whether prescribed medication or illegal
substances, is just as dangerous as driving under the influence of
alcohol. Young people may not be aware it is an offence to drive
under the influence of drugs, so it is important we get the message
across."
"Driving under the influence of
drugs carries the same penalties as drink driving offences,
including a fine of up to £5,000 and up to six months in prison. If
a death is caused, the penalties are even more severe."
August 2009 -
Peterborough UK Community Website
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