Using data from the Drug Use Monitoring in Australia program, this paper examines the prevalence of drug driving among a sample of police detainees in 2005 and 2006.

It found that two-thirds had driven after using drugs and/or alcohol in the previous 12 months, which is significantly higher than the incidence of drug driving in the general population. Approximately three-quarters of detainees who had been involved as a driver in a high-speed police pursuit reported being under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol at the time of the pursuit. Consistent with past research, detainees were most likely to perceive that cannabis and methylamphetamine did not have a negative effect on their driving ability.