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- Spit it out: the Ministry of Internal Affairs intends to check drivers for intoxication by saliva
Spit it out: the Ministry of Internal Affairs intends to check drivers for intoxication by saliva
The Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation has proposed to change the rules for conducting preliminary checks of drivers for intoxication. It is assumed that traffic inspectors will have the right to monitor the presence of prohibited substances in the saliva of motorists. This will allow faster identification of those who got behind the wheel under the influence of drugs, experts say. The method of sobriety control based on saliva samples requires compliance with certain conditions, narcologists say. The details are in the Izvestia article.
It's no big deal
The Ministry of Internal Affairs has developed a draft government decree changing the rules for conducting an alcohol intoxication examination. The document is posted on the portal of draft regulations. It provides for the possibility to conduct preliminary testing of drivers for intoxication by saliva in order to promptly identify those driving vehicles under the influence of narcotic or psychotropic substances.
The Interior Ministry notes that the problem of accidents involving drivers with signs of intoxication is still relevant. So, last year, under Parts 1 and Part 3 of Article 12.8 of the Administrative Code of the Russian Federation "Driving a vehicle by a driver in a state of intoxication", as well as Article 12.26 of the Administrative Code of the Russian Federation "Failure by a driver of a vehicle to undergo a medical examination for intoxication", a total of 371.2 thousand cases of administrative offenses were initiated. Thus, almost every fifteenth driver (6.4%, or 14.2 thousand) drove vehicles in a state of narcotic or other toxic intoxication, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation emphasizes.
The draft resolution proposes to supplement the list of signs of intoxication (the smell of alcohol from the mouth, instability of posture, speech disorders, a sharp change in the color of the skin of the face, behavior that does not correspond to the situation) with a new criterion. The readings of devices indicating the detection of alcohol or narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances will serve as a reason to believe that the driver is intoxicated and it is necessary to conduct an examination for alcohol intoxication and (or) a medical examination for intoxication. At the same time, such devices will be used only with the consent of the driver and necessarily under video recording, the Interior Ministry emphasizes.
"The use of devices will minimize doubts about the objectivity of police officers in assessing the condition of drivers, which will help to respect the rights and legitimate interests of road users and reduce the number of conflict situations, as well as the validity of the examination procedure," the explanatory note to the document says.
Additional tool
Technical means for establishing the fact of drug use based on screening methods are currently being used by the police of Belgium, Switzerland, Canada, Great Britain, Cyprus, Germany, Spain and China, the Interior Ministry said. The results of their use abroad as an additional tool indicate a significant increase in the effectiveness of detecting drivers driving vehicles under the influence of alcohol, the department emphasizes.
The use of these devices will allow police officers to conduct a preliminary check of drivers and identify those who drive vehicles in a state of intoxication, in cases where it is not obvious that they have characteristic signs of intoxication, the State Traffic Inspectorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia explained.
— At the same time, the driver's refusal from such a check will not entail any administrative responsibility, - the Main Directorate for Road Safety of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation emphasizes separately.
The pregnancy test is the opposite
The systems that detect prohibited substances in human saliva are generally similar to pregnancy tests, Alexander Kovtun, a psychiatrist and psychiatrist-narcologist, told Izvestia. After the analysis, strips should appear on the test paper, indicating the presence or absence of such substances in saliva, he noted.
"But if two strips in a pregnancy test give reason to believe that a woman is "in position," then the opposite is true in a saliva drug test: two strips are a negative result, and one is a positive result," he told Izvestia.
At the same time, Alexander Kovtun particularly drew attention to the fact that when conducting such tests, it is assumed, as indicated in the draft resolution, to take into account "readings of devices that exclude visual assessment of the results of the study."
— This means that it will not be the car inspector himself who will record how many stripes the test showed, but a special device into which a test plate will have to be inserted. There are such devices, but they are not cheap — the price starts from 200-250 thousand rubles," he said.
Existing tests for the detection of "prohibited substances" in saliva are able to identify the main groups of narcotic and psychotropic substances of both plant and synthetic origin, said Alexander Kovtun. However, they still do not recognize some types of drugs, he noted.
– For example, it is still almost impossible to detect mephedrone and so-called salts with their help. In addition, at temperatures below room temperature, the second stripe on such tests may take a long time to appear or not appear at all — this must be taken into account when conducting such studies," emphasized Alexander Kovtun.
According to the procedure
The problem of transport management under the influence of narcotic or psychotropic drugs is quite acute, says Igor Morzharetto, a member of the presidium of the Public Council under the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation. The proposed changes will allow car inspectors to identify such drivers faster, he notes.
— The police will not act at random: if a preliminary saliva analysis shows that there are traces of prohibited substances in the motorist's body, this will be the basis for a more detailed medical examination at a drug dispensary. The main thing is that when conducting such preliminary tests, the established procedure should be strictly followed," Igor Morzharetto told Izvestia.
Maxim Kadakov, editor-in-chief of Za Rulem magazine, also considers the Interior Ministry's proposals reasonable and aimed at reducing the number of inadequate drivers on the roads.
— Obviously, drug addicts have no place behind the wheel. If additional testing makes it possible to identify such motorists, then all road users will benefit from this. Of course, it is necessary to spell out the conditions and rules for conducting such tests as clearly as possible and ensure their strict observance," the journalist noted.
The idea of additional tests allowing car inspectors to identify drivers driving under the influence of narcotic and psychotropic substances is sound, says Sergey Radko, a lawyer for the Freedom of Choice movement. However, for its implementation, it will be necessary to develop and adopt a number of additional regulations, he believes.
— In particular, a list of certified tests and devices should be established. There should also be a clear procedure for conducting such studies, including the conditions under which such tests can be used. This will minimize the corruption component during such inspections," Sergei Radko believes.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
