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As New Zealand gets set to rollout roadside drug testing, an Australian expert says it's a scattergun approach that doesn't reliably pick up impairment. Wellington will next month become the first location to see police use a saliva test on drivers, with the rest of the country set to follow by mid-2026. The tests will screen four key drugs: THC, which is found in cannabis, methamphetamine, MDMA or ecstasy and cocaine.
The government says 30 percent of all road deaths now involve an impairing drug - and that greater screening will improve road safety. But Dr Michael White, an adjunct senior fellow at the School of Psychology at the University of Adelaide who's researched road accidents involving cannabis, says the tests are nearly worthless when it comes to picking up if someone is impaired.
