Drug Testing Bus touring NSW

[Frazz]

180,000km..one Winnebago .....

 

NSW Government will try to scare drug-using drivers off the roads with the use of a single, unmarked Winnebago motor home.

 

The State's only roadside drug-testing bus will be responsible for policing 4.5 million licence holders in NSW and its patrol area will cover 180,000km of road.

 

As well as a drug-testing lab, the $350,000 Winnebago has CCTV, kitchen and bathroom facilities and a flat-screen TV.

 

It is unmarked because police are hoping to blend in with van-loving "grey nomads'' to catch drivers by surprise when the bus hits the road for the Christmas holidays.

 

Offenders will face fines of up to $2200, prison sentences of up to nine months and unlimited licence suspensions.

 

Opposition police spokesman Mike Gallacher has dubbed the drug bus a "Iemmabago'', after Premier Morris Iemma.

 

"It's an absolute stunt, nothing more,'' a spokesman for Mr Gallacher said.

 

"Obviously, there's a serious problem with drug-driving, but having one bus circling a state the size of NSW isn't going to solve that problem.''

 

Victoria introduced roadside drug-testing in December, 2004 after figures from the coroner's office revealed that one in three drivers killed on the state's roads had drugs in their system.

 

In its first year, the program tested 13,172 drivers for the presence of amphetamines and THC - the active ingredient in cannabis - and had a positive strike rate of one car in every 43 and one truck in every 54.

 

Assistant Commissioner Noel Ashby described the rate as "exceptionally high''.

 

"When you compare it to random breath-testing, across the state the strike rate for that is one in 225,'' he said.

 

Victoria will have three highly visible dual-capacity buses on the road this Christmas, testing for both alcohol and drugs, with the mouth-swab drug test now also able to pick up ecstasy. There is still no reliable way to test for heroin or cocaine in saliva.

 

By June 30 next year there will be eight buses operating across Victoria.

 

Mr Ashby agreed that NSW was a massive area to be covered by just one bus.

 

"It depends what advice they've got - how they're going to approach it. We know they are very interested in our program,'' he said.

 

A spokeswoman for the NSW Police said it was too early to talk about roadside drug-testing.

 

"There's no comment we can provide at this stage,'' she said.

 

A spokesman for Police Minister John Watkins said legislation providing police with the power to conduct roadside drug-testing was passed on October 18.

 

The NSW program would initially target truck drivers and dance parties

This one Winnebago is all the NSW Police have to stop motorists using drugs.

 

Author: Stephen Corby

Date: October 29, 2006 12:00

Source: Sunday Telegraph

Copyright: 2006 News Limited

[stonedstump]

.

[humphrey b flaubert]

Sounds to me like there will be a lot of cops siting around and watching the cricket on their big screen TV

[wastedwilly]

hope it stays down there in sydney

[Guest niall]

Is that the actual Winnebago in that photo? Licence plate A1 80 6J?

[mull]

Be funny if everytime they set up, a convoy of real grey nomads form a camp around them!

 

Where's the pokies?

[Frazz]

...yep , according to the article that is the bus !

 

" This one Winnebago is all the NSW Police have to stop motorists using drugs / The Sunday Telegraph"

 

 

http://www.news.com.au/sundaytelegraph/sto...5006009,00.html

 

LMFAO @ mulla

[torture]

welp thats great for people in nsw... i hope they do the same in wa

[Shithappens]

what is the test that they use for THC and what is the dellay from when you have it till you test positive OPS negative I mean.

 

if 1 in 50 odd tests get a positive result they will soon fund more buses

Edited October 29, 2006 by Shithappens

[Frazz]

Quote from Dr Michael Lenne, Monash University Accident Research Centre. Law Report (ABC 12 Sept '06)

 

:Question;" But does that mean that if you have, say, a joint say a month ago, it might still be in your system and it might show up in the saliva test?

 

Michael Lenne: Definitely not. There are a number of metabolites, in this case for cannabis, one of them is detectable through urine samples for up to a month or so. The metabolite that is detected through blood or saliva testing is only evident in those samples for an hour or two post use."

 

From S.A. Dept. of Transport ;

 

Driving with the presence of THC

The THC in cannabis effects many skills required for safe driving: alertness, the ability to concentrate, coordination and reaction time. The active component that is tested for is detected up to 5 hours after smoking cannabis. The THC in cannabis use can make it difficult to judge distances and react to signals and sounds on the road. Cannabis remains the most commonly used illegal drug in South Australia and when users combine cannabis with alcohol, as they often do, the hazards of driving can be even more severe than with either drug alone.

 

Driving with the presence of methylamphetamine

Use of the stimulant methylamphetamine while driving creates an increased crash risk, particularly for heavy vehicle drivers. The presence of methylamphetamine can be detected up to 24 hours after use. Stimulants like methylamphetamine are often mistakenly used to prevent falling asleep, when in reality they greatly increase the severity of sleep rebound crashes. Microsleeps and crashes caused by fatigue impairment are often the result of drivers using stimulants. Methylamphetamine is the second most commonly used illegal drug.

 

Driving with the presence of ecstasy

MDMA (ecstasy) can enhance impulsivity and make it difficult for a person to maintain attention during complex tasks. Distortion of perception, thinking, and memory, impaired tracking ability, disorientation to time and place, and slow reactions are also known performance effects. This can in turn impair driving ability by reducing the driver's basic vehicle control, and may result in people taking more risks while driving. Like methylamphetamine, MDMA can be detected in the blood for up to 24 hours after use.

 

I guess all the states use the same testing equipment