Drug-driving crisis laid bare: Reoffending rises a quarter as 3,200 convicted motorists found over the limit again
England and Wales is in the throes of a drug driving crisis with reoffending rising by a quarter every year.
Ministry of Justice figures obtained by a road safety charity suggest there were 3,193 drug-drive incidents in 2024 by motorists who had committed the same offence previously, up from 2,579 in 2023.
The 2024 stats are a staggering 134 per cent higher than the 1,363 recorded reoffences in 2020.
Nearly half of drug-drive offences (44 per cent) are committed by a reoffender, according to Government data. One reoffender collared in 2024 was found to already have 18 previous drink and drug-driving convictions to their name.
Separate figures show that drug-driving on the whole is rising dramatically as the epidemic takes hold of our roads.
Some 20,072 people in England and Wales were sentenced for drug-driving offences in 2024 – 143 per cent higher than in 2017.
And this is just the tip of the iceberg, road safety groups warn, with the majority of offenders going unpunished due to a lack of enforcement and roadside checks due to the nation's dramatically reduced police presence with road traffic officer numbers at a 10-year low.
IAM RoadSmart said the statistics demonstrate the need for a national drug-drive rehabilitation course to crackdown on the number of people who get behind the wheel over the limit.
Ministry of Justice figures obtained by a road safety charity suggest there were 3,193 drug-drive incidents in 2024 by motorists who had committed the same offence previously, up from 2,579 in 2023
A motorist suspected of drug-driving by police is initially put through a roadside test.
If this has a positive result, they are taken to a police station and asked to provide a blood or urine sample for laboratory analysis.
Delays of up to six months to process blood tests could lead to reoffending figures, experts warned, as people who have failed roadside tests are allowed to continue to drive while their results from police station tests are pending.
Joshua Eldred, then aged 31, was handed a 12-year prison sentence at Chester Crown Court in October 2024 after killing Tim Burgess, 48, in a head-on crash while driving under the influence of alcohol and cocaine.
Eldred, of no fixed abode, was arrested and bailed 10 days earlier after crashing into a stationary car, pending a blood test result which was positive for drugs and alcohol.
Roadside swab tests - commonly referred to as 'drugalysers' - are carried by traffic cops and can identify whether a motorist is under the influence of either cannabis or cocaine
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The Government's road safety strategy published earlier this month proposes to give police the power to suspend the licences of people suspected of drug-driving.
While a drink-drive rehabilitation scheme has been in place for 25 years, there is no national programme for drug-drivers.
Department for Transport figures show 74 people were killed in crashes on Britain's roads in 2024 in which a driver being affected by drugs was recorded as a contributory factor.
IAM RoadSmart policy, public affairs and communications manager William Porter said: 'The system for dealing with drug-drivers hasn't kept pace with the huge increase in reoffending.
'The fact that those who have tested positive to a roadside test are allowed to get back into the driving seat pending a laboratory blood test shows that the system is broken.
'We welcome the proposed Government shake-up and would like to see an immediate suspension when a driver has provided a positive roadside saliva drug test.
'We also need to see the introduction of a drug-drive rehabilitation course with better screening for drug and mental health problems and with clear pathways to treatment.
'Drug-drivers often need support to break the pattern of reoffending by changing their mindset and habits, understanding how drugs impair driving, and the serious consequences for themselves and others.'
The number of dedicated road cops in England and Wales has fallen from 5,005 officers in 2015 to just 3,889, according to Home Office figures
Not enough cops in cars to catch drug drivers
A severe lack of road traffic officers in England and Wales to administer roadside 'drugalyser' tests means many drug and drink-driving offences are going unpunished in Britain each year.
Traffic cop numbers in England and Wales have fallen by more than a fifth in the last decade as the increasing reliance on camera enforcement sparks major concerns over who is policing the nation's highways.
There were 3,889 dedicated 'cops in cars' across forces at the end of March 2025, analysis by the RAC found.
That is down 22 per cent on the 5,005 officers in road policing roles on the same date in 2015, according to Home Office figures.
But while officer numbers are dwindling, dangerous driving convictions - like drug driving - are on the rise, while bilking at petrol stations and the use of ghost number plates are also becoming prevalent.
Reports that the Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood will next week set out a ‘radical blueprint’ for police reforms next week - which will see the 43 forces undergo a series of mergers in the biggest changes since the 1960s - there is the threat of numbers being further depleted.
Simon Williams, RAC head of policy, has called for the reduction in traffic officers to be reversed or 'significant new measures' to crack down on those who break road rules.
He said: 'It's clear from our analysis that the number of officers dedicated to roads policing is at a 10-year low which can only be seen as bad for the enforcement of motoring laws.
'Drivers we've surveyed express strong concerns about the dangers posed by others on the road breaking traffic laws, whether that's speeding, drink or drug-driving, using a handheld mobile phone, driving in an aggressive way or not having tax or insurance.'
