It has been revealed that drivers in North Yorkshire are the most likely to be caught drug driving. The county has the highest conviction rate for drug driving offences making it the drug driving capital of the UK.

driving on drugs

According to research, carried out by Keith Michaels plc, North Yorkshire had a drug driving conviction rate of 20.91 for every 100,000 people living in the county in 2015.

When compared with the lowest region of the country, Cambridgeshire, drivers from North Yorkshire are over than 20 times more likely to be caught driving under the influence of drugs.

North Yorkshire Police Inspector Dave Barf, who works within the force’s Road Policing Group, said that the figures were partly down to better policing of the region’s roads in recent years leading to more convictions.

It’s illegal to drive if you’re unfit to do so because you have taken drugs, regardless of whether they are illegal or prescribed legal drugs such as certain pain killers. Even if you’ve taken illegal drugs, but they aren’t affecting your driving, you could still be convicted of a drug driving offence.

If the police suspect that you have taken drugs or that your driving has been impaired, they could signal for you to pull over and carry out a “field impairment test” to check your co-ordination and reactions; much like we’re accustomed to seeing on American TV shows where potential offenders are asked to walk in a straight line.

The police also carry test kits that can be used at the roadside to determine if the driver has been using cocaine or cannabis.

If either test shows that you have been using drugs you could be arrested and taken to the police station where further tests, such as urine or blood tests, can be carried out.

Drivers that are convicted of a drug driving offence can receive a minimum 1 year driving ban, an unlimited fine, up to 6 months in prison and a criminal record. Additionally your driver’s license will be endorsed with the relevant conviction code and a number of penalty points.

Convictions for drug driving offences will remain on your license for 11 years and can have a major affect on the cost of insurance for convicted drivers. They could also have an impact on your career choices and even countries that you can travel to as you will also have a criminal conviction.

If you are looking for cheaper insurance with driving convictions head over to our convicted driver insurance page where you can get quotes from our panel of specialist insurance providers. By having quotes from multiple brokers that specialise in this kind of insurance you’ll be able to compare prices and save both time and money.