Police investigating 12 drug-driving incidents

Police are investigating 12 cases of driving under the influence of drugs after traffic checks carried out in the two-week period of April 10 to 27.

In an announcement on Tuesday, they said the 12 drivers had tested positive for drugs in initial narco-tests. Five were in the Paphos district, three in the Larnaca district and two each in the Nicosia and Famagusta districts.

One of the drivers, aged 17, was stopped in Nicosia without a driving licence or insurance. He was driving dangerously and tried to evade police, the announcement added.

Three other drivers, besides testing positive in the initial narco-test, were also found to driving under the influence of alcohol. One of the three, a 28-year-old man who was involved in a traffic accident in the Nicosia district, three times over the legal limit of 22μg%.

The second, aged 33, was driving in the Paphos district. His breathalyser test gave a reading of 48μg%, more than twice the legal limit. The third, aged 19, was stopped in the Famagusta district and his reading was 20μg% more than twice the 9μg% limit for young drivers.

In the remaining three cases, the drivers were initially stopped for speeding. One of them, a 34-year-old with only a learner’s licence, no co-driver or insurance was doing 94 km per hour in a 50 km per hour zone in the Famagusta district. The other two, young men aged 19 and 21, were caught speeding near Larnaca.