The NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) last Wednesday October 23 released a new study on trends in drug driving charges, roadside drug testing and drug use in NSW, 2008-2023.
Mobile Drug Testing (MDT) was introduced in NSW in 2007, improving the ability of the NSW Police Force to identify and proceed against drug driving offenders. This study examines trends in drug driving charges between 2008 and 2023, looking at the outcomes of the MDT program in NSW and the number and characteristics of offenders who are proceeded against as a result of testing.
 
Key results: 

• Since the introduction of Mobile Drug Testing in NSW, there has been a significant increase in the number of people proceeded against by NSW Police for drug driving.
• In 2008, an average of 102 people were proceeded against for drug driving each quarter. By 2023, this number had risen around 32 times to an average of 3,296 people per quarter.
• There are two likely reasons for the increase: (1) two expansions of the Mobile Drug Testing program in NSW which resulted in a rapid increase in testing volumes and, (2) a recent increase in the detection rate driven by police targeting of repeat drug driving offenders and motorists in regional areas.
• There is no evidence that recent trends in drug driving charges are driven by changes in drug use or self-reported drug driving behaviours.