Gardai will soon have the power to test the co-ordination abilities of motorists on the roadside, who they suspect are driving under the influence of drugs, the Minister for Transport has confirmed.

While it is already against the law to drive under the influence of drugs, Gardai cannot currently carry out any specific roadside tests on alleged drug-drivers.

However, as part of these new plans, Gardai will soon be able to ask drivers to perform a series of ‘physical exercises or gestures'.

"Any driver who fails the roadside impairment test, or who appears to be under the influence of drugs, will be arrested and brought to a Garda station," the Department of Transport explained.

Legislation is currently being drafted and it is hoped that these measures will be introduced early in the new year.
According to Minister Leo Varadkar, these new laws ‘will allow us to fast-track measures against drug driving', making it easier to detect and prosecute.

The training of Gardai in these new procedures ‘has been underway for some time by the Medical Bureau of Road Safety and UCD', the department pointed out.