‘Extremely alarming’: Shameful stat on Aussie state’s roads as deaths jump 44 per cent

One in 10 NSW motorists are driving while high on drugs like meth cocaine and cannabis, a shocking new report has warned. Commissioned by insurer NRMA, theDriving Highreport is based on data from 2023 when the number of drug-related road fatalities rose to tragic new heights. With 79 lives lost in 2023, the number of drug-driving-related deaths on NSW roads rose by a staggering 24 fatalities compared with the previous year. The analysis of last year’s offenders found that men made up the “overwhelming majority” at 85 per cent of cases. Drivers and motorcyclists between 20-29 years old were the most common age cohort. Describing the findings as “extremely alarming”, NRMA spokesman Peter Khoury said the state government needed to do more to reverse the disturbing spike in drug-fuelled fatalities. “Too many Australians are driving high and it’s clear we need to ramp up enforcement and to boost education campaigns around ending this dangerous behaviour,” Mr Khoury said. “We support an increased focus on improving police numbers and hope to see roadside testing rates move in the right direction to reach the target and ultimately save lives.” The insurer is demanding police conduct 200,000 roadside drug tests by next year as well as more transparency around drug and alcohol testing by releasing data sooner. Last year, NSW fell 40,000 roadside drug tests short of its 200,000 annual target. The report also calls for a review into warning labels on medication and further research into the effects of medical cannabis. In almost 70 per cent of those crashes, cannabis was the most commonly detected drug in the driver’s system, followed by meth (43 per cent) and cocaine (7 per cent). While cannabis use has been legalised for medicinal purposes since 2016, it remains illegal for patients using the drug to drive. In October, a proposal tabled in the Victorian parliament aimed to allow those using the drug for medicinal purposes to remain behind the wheel on a case-by-case basis, with the decision coming down to judicial discretion.