Victoria Police believes its drug testing system is working well and has adequate checks and balances to ensure charges are only laid once it determined that there has been a positive return.

If a motorist returns a positive drug-driving result from a roadside test, they are taken into a drug bus or police station and undergo a second test.

If the second test is also positive, it is referred off to the Victoria Police laboratory for a confirmation test.

It is important to note that police do not lay any charges until the result is returned from the laboratory and confirmed as a positive result.

As per Victoria Police procedure, the Newtown man was never charged or penalised as the laboratory testing indicated that no drugs where present in the sample.

This case is an example of the thorough testing system that is involved in drug-driving to ensure accuracy.

Between 2004 and 2009, 1618 drug-driving samples were sent to the Victoria Police laboratory for confirmation testing.

Of those, 1556, or 96.2 per cent confirmed positive tests for illicit substances.

There were 62 which tested negative for the substances – or 3.8 per cent. This demonstrates that on the whole the system is very accurate.

The laboratory testing results are sent to police officer who administered the initial test, usually 14 and 21 days after the initial test.

It is expected that a negative result will be communicated to the motorist as quickly as possible. Where there is positive result, the police officer will either issue the motorist with a penalty notice or prepare a brief for court.

Sometimes delays in this process can occur, for example when the police officer is on leave.

We understand that there may be some frustration regarding the time it takes to be advised of the result, but it is important to put this into context.

Whilst we appreciate that delays in notification, while uncommon, are inconvenient for the motorist, this testing is complex and we do our best to ensure people are advised in a timely way.
 
In 2005, of all drivers involved in fatal accidents – 24 per cent tested positive for illicit drugs.

Four years later, this figure has dropped by 9 per cent to 15 per cent. This shows that the drug-driving testing program is having an impact and undoubtedly saving lives on our roads.

Victoria Police was the first jurisdiction to introduce random drug testing for motorise and is recognised as a world leader in this technology.

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