Lets rethink the whys of Police chases.

The worsening standard of driving which phenomenally increased injury crashes the last 5 years, is drink and drug related say Candor. Which puts Police in a very hard predicament when making decisions. 'We have records of about 5 high speed chases of suspects driving on methamphetamine, which did not go wrong lately'.

Knowing the harm that can come from drink driving would anyone like to be in their shoes if they saw a carload of rebelious kids swigging on alcohol bottles, and acting like they were loaded. Do you give chase in the hope of addressing the safety problem, in both the short and the longterm, hoping the driver will have sense enough to pull over.

Or do you make no effort to uphold important safety based laws then wait and see if an hour or two later, or a month or two later you are attending a crash - perhaps that has wiped out an innocent family - just because you 'looked away'. In fear of bad press, lest your best efforts might not better the dicey situation.

The fact is that the recent tragic crash which occurred after a brief chase ending 3 young lives prematurely may have been prevented had our Government been one that is truly serious about conquering drink and drug driving.

U.S. Police would never be confronted with the depressing vision of exuberant youth blatantly drinking as they hoon about. Because it is illegal to have an open alcohol bottle in a vehicle full stop.

The Kiwi answer is 'slow boozers and stoners down rather than stop the behaviour -harm minimisation at it's scariest'.

Half of all crime suspects arrested by police admit to recently smoking cannabis, research just released by the UK Government reveals. 57% were identified as problem drinkers. This has significant implications for traffic safety say Candor.

The startling findings emerged from a Home Office survey of 7,500 crime suspects who had just been arrested by the police. The offences the pot smokers were picked up for by police were often violent ones such as robbery and assault.

The survey shows that people on drugs, even so called 'soft' ones are far more likely to commit crime, especially violent crime.

Candor says the study affirms conventional wisdom that any mind altering drug be it alcohol, 'P' or pot can fuel the risk of involvement in dangerous driving offenses, because they lower inhibitions. Atop of effectively reducing users 'brainpower', healthy natural anxiety and self restraint.

All of this results in an undermining of the user's sense of personal responsibility and most valuable survival instincts.

Future consequences to actions become a hazy concept. Since Labour relaxed the laws on drinking, making alcohol available to younger people we have seen the youth toll spike in New Zealand. as might well have been predicted say Candor.

With the relaxation of laws, the 'P' epidemic, and the Governments failure to inform people of drugs greatest risks (road safety ones) under a flawed harm minimisation policy, it's no wonder reckless and dangerous driving offenses are doubled in places.

For example that 200 convictions for the above offenses in the S. Island in 2003 rising to 419 in 2005, should come as no surprise.

Cannabis is definitely linked to impaired driving casualties in New Zealand among other crimes. But most worryingly to drink driving. ESR research which is ongoing shows drink driving by deceased drivers has usually occured in combination with cannabis use.

'Cannabis users are in fact more likely to enter the road toll than drinkers in New Zealand today. Around 2-5% of Kiwis behind the wheel are drunk depending on time and location and these people have 16x the normal risk of dying each trip.

But a much smaller number (8,000) regularly drive about stoned on pot if the answers smokers supplied to the National Household Drug survey is any indication.

These drivers appear to have a significantly higher chance than drinkers of landing in toll statistics. Recent users who drive are greatly over represented in toll body counts, given their reasonably low representation as a proportion of all drivers.

These drivers are also often associated with freak daytime crashes which kill other innocent road users, and they often have no idea that driving smashed is half as dangerous as drink driving.

'Cannabis was connected to violent crime back in 2002 when cannabis dependents were found in a study to be twice as likely to be violent than drunks and 4x more likely than people without substance abuse problems.'

Last October, a UK Police Advisor Reverend Hargreave warned Labour's decision to downgrade cannabis had filled youths with a 'lawless bravado' which turns them into criminals and even potential killers, he noted schizophrenic symptoms in users impacting crime statistics.

A report by the Downing Street strategy unit said cannabis use had soared since it was downgraded. It conceded: 'Recent changes to the law have increased the number of people taking cannabis.'

'The amount of hard drug abuse has also increased. It appears the two rises are connected.' Being caught with the drug in the UK no longer carries the automatic threat of arrest. Instead, a user is likely to be let-off with a simple formal warning.

British charities say this idealistic new approach has sent out the message to the younger generation that cannabis use is socially acceptable - one NZ youth already seem to have recieved loud and clear, based on prevalent use.

The results of the loosening up there have been predictable. For the UK is finding large numbers of youth will now admit to driving soon after cannabis use. The Home Office has spent two years analysing the results of the drugs reclassification, which were published in November 2006.

Candor say various Ministries are utilising policies that work to undermine the achievement of road safety objectives in New Zealand. And that the harm minimisation approach, with it's touchy feely approach to drugs and the users is not helping on the road safety front. Cannabis has become New Zealands holy cow.

'Why are pamphlets sponsored by the Ministry of Health educating about AID's and the loss of possessions that may result from excessive P use, when non excessive use can cause a high speed Police chase ending in a high velocity crash - in fact that seems the more likely outcome'.

'And why is nothing negative said about marijuana when it's the leading killer on the road. Until we address the root causes of dangerous driving the Police will continue to operate in an impossible environment, and be forced to increasingly partake in dangerous chases.'

Kids need to be educated that a Police chase is not fun and harmless. And we believe that if Police chases are occurring because people fear drug possession charges - which anecdotally they are, that a new and well publicised approach may be helpful. One that Ma and Pa pot smoker may also appreciate.

Police could perhaps utilise some discretion upon finding personal use quantities of drugs in cars - so long as the driver at least is not drunk or stoned, and has no open bottle or tinny aboard. As with youth, if one is being passed around it will often be passed to the front as well. And the one swig or toke won't hurt concept may prevail.

ends

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