Drug Screening Has Caught 170,000 Drivers and Reduced Numbers of Licenses

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Mandatory since 2016, the toxicological test on bus, vans and truck drivers has already detected 170,000 drivers throughout Brazil who were regular drug users. Almost half of them drove public transport vehicles; the predominant drug (67 percent of them)was cocaine. The data are part of a SOS Estradas study, focused on accident reduction and road safety.

Those in charge of the program advocate the maintenance of the rule that establishes compulsory testing. This is included in the final draft of the Traffic Law passed by Congress and now awaiting President Jair Bolsonaro’s approval.

Currently, the toxicological test is conducted upon drivers’ first license in categories C, D and E (vans, buses and trucks) and upon hiring and firing of drivers by carriers or bus companies. Tests are also conducted randomly. In addition to a fine, those caught have their license immediately suspended.

The test, conducted from a strand of hair or a fingernail fragment, is capable of detecting whether narcotics have been used in the past 90 days. It detects not only occasional drug use, but particularly routine use. Professional drivers often resort to drugs to remain alert and able to drive for many consecutive hours. They often drive for days with no sleep – a tremendous risk to traffic safety.

“It’s important to point out that we’re talking about a minority, but still a considerable minority,” alerts Rodolfo Rizzotto, SOS Estradas coordinator. “Most drivers are in favor of the test. In addition to affecting traffic safety, in general those who resort to drugs in order to drive longer offer freight haulage at a much lower cost, which ultimately influences everyone’s price list.”

The SOS Estradas survey points out that, since the test became mandatory, the number of licenses in the three categories required has declined. It changed from a record high to a decline even though the fleet of heavy vehicles increased.

In December 2015, the last year before the compulsory toxicological screening, the country had 13.1 million people licensed in categories C, D and E. The fleet comprised 2.35 million heavy vehicles. By May this year, in the first months of the pandemic, the total number of licenses had dropped to 11.55 million. Last December’s fleet estimate, the most recent figure, stood at 2.41 million heavy vehicles.

According to Rizzotto, the decrease in the number of drivers is directly linked to the fear of being caught.

“Those who have taken drugs know that they will be caught and that they will be prevented from driving. To want to take or renew a driver’s license under such conditions is as if you were stopped in an operation and, drunk, asked to be tested by a breathalyzer,” he compares.

The Brazilian Truckers Association (ABCAM), which includes 54 affiliates and represents 600,000 truckers, is in favor of maintaining the toxicological test. It upholds its position despite the fact that this requirement entails costs for companies and, often, for the drivers.

In an open letter, the association points out that its drivers are faced with risks inherent to the job, but that they can be “potentially increased by the aggressive competition in the market that leads some professionals to the use of psychoactive substances.”

The text further notes that, after the test became mandatory, “many professional drivers have decided to quit drugs and are therefore recovering their health, dignity and healthy coexistence with their families and colleagues.”

Source: Estadão Conteúdo