Families of victims killed by drug-drivers are calling for new powers that would allow police to revoke licences at the roadside if motorists are suspected of being over the limit.
Charlie Ward’s father, Steven, was killed in 2024 by a driver using both drugs and alcohol. She said it was “heartbreaking” that he would never walk her down the aisle.
Steven Ward, 62, died from head injuries in Englefield Green, Surrey, when Samuel Russell, 37, crossed onto the pavement and struck him. Russell, who had a previous drink-drive conviction, was more than 10 times over the drug-drive limit and nearly three times over the drink-drive limit. He was jailed in November after admitting causing death by dangerous driving.
Ms Ward, 31, said: “I do believe police officers should be able to take licences if people are testing positive at the roadside. It would give families who have something like this happen to them feel there’s an immediate support there.”
Similarly, Linzi Stewart’s brother, Tim Burgess, was killed in 2024 by a motorist high on cocaine and alcohol in Cheshire. Ms Stewart said: “To know he was killed by someone who shouldn’t have been on the road, that’s what’s shocking and the government needs to look at those laws.” Her petition calling for licence revocation pending trial has 195,000 signatures. She added: “I think first offence we need to look at licence revocation, bail conditions, possible curfew and tag, something as a deterrent. People think they can just do it and get away with it.”
Government figures show a 78% rise in driver fatalities involving drugs between 2014 and 2023. Under current law, suspected drug drivers can take a field impairment test and give a preliminary saliva sample, but a confirmatory blood test can take weeks.
Ch Supt Marc Clothier of the National Police Chiefs’ Council said: “One of the things we have been pushing for is around some sort of road risk prevention notice, or interim disqualification. That would allow us to take people off the road and stop them driving if they’ve provided a positive test at the roadside, whilst we await for that formal analysis and appropriate justice to take place.”
Sussex Chief Constable Jo Shiner has also called for quicker action on licence revocation, reflecting her personal experience of losing her father in a crash as a teenager. A government spokesperson said: “We are committed to making our roads safer. Our new Road Safety Strategy, the first in over a decade, will introduce more measures to keep people safe and our latest THINK! campaign sends a strong warning about the dangers and consequences of drug driving.”
Det Sgt Chris Wade, an impairment instructor in Kent, said: “Now we’re in a position where vehicles are driving past us and they’re taking drugs at the wheel. The attitudes around drug driving have certainly not caught up to where they were with alcohol.”
Ministry of Justice data shows 28,179 convictions for selected drug-driving offences in the year ending June 2025, up 14% on the previous year and almost double the total in 2020.
