Emergency Medicine Consultant Urges Parliament To Introduce Random Roadside Drug And Alcohol Testing
Following yet another motorcycle fatality early Sunday morning, the sixth road death in just two weeks, Dr Jonathan Joslin has called on Parliament to urgently introduce random roadside drug and alcohol testing in Malta.
He stressed that the current approach relying mainly on reasonable suspicion testing is insufficient because it is reactive rather than preventive.
He stated due to the chance of being caught being low, most do not fear any consequences set in place following up on that there should be stricter consequences to those caught not following rules.
Dr Joslin pointed to the success of countries such as Australia and Ireland, where implementing random testing resulted in a 20 to 36 % decrease in alcohol-related fatal crashes. Unlike suspicion-based testing, random checks act as a powerful deterrent because all drivers are aware they can be stopped and tested at any time, regardless of their behaviour.
Discussing the deterrent effect, he said,
“With random roadside testing, every driver knows they can be stopped and tested anywhere, at any time, without having done anything to draw police attention. This creates a strong preventive effect, discouraging impaired driving before it happens.”
On the limitations of suspicion-based testing, he explained,
“Reasonable suspicion testing, while useful in certain contexts, is reactive. It only detects impairment once a driver shows visible signs or is already involved in risky behaviour or a crash.”
Do you agree that Malta needs stricter preventative methods?
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