• Almost a third (29%) of motorists say penalties should be higher for drug-driving than drink-driving
• 34% say more education about the dangers of drug-driving is needed and 15% know someone who uses drugs and drives
• Only 26% are aware that drug-driving includes prescription and pharmacy medicines, shows September’s Startline Used Car Tracker

September’s Startline Used Car Tracker shows 34% think more education about the dangers of drug-driving is needed and 28% have seen on-road behaviour they believe is due to the influence of drugs.

Also, 20% are more worried about drug driving than drink driving, 19% believe the same people who drink-drive often use drugs and 15% know someone who uses drugs and drives.

Paul Burgess, CEO at Startline Motor Finance, said: “We added this question to our research after statistics were released showing licence endorsements for those caught drug-driving have exceeded drink-driving for the first time. We wanted to gain an insight into motorists’ thoughts on this development.

“Our findings show a significant minority have strong feelings about drug use and driving, with around a third saying penalties should be higher than for drink driving and that more education is needed to explain the dangers.

“It’s also notable that one in six say they know people who use drugs and drive, which seems to us like a worrying high proportion. It suggests there is a section of the population for whom drug-driving has become normalised.”

However, September’s Startline Used Car Tracker also shows that only 26% of those surveyed are aware drug-driving can include prescription and pharmacy medicines.

Paul added: “There are a whole range of prescription and over-the-counter medicines that should be avoided while driving and the fact that only one in four people know about this is a worry. Many could pose a major risk on the road without realising the danger they represent. We plan to ask more questions about this in future research.”

The Startline Used Car Tracker is compiled monthly for Startline Motor Finance by APD Global Research, well-known in the motor industry for their business intelligence reporting and customer experience programs. This time, 300 consumers and 60 dealers were questioned.