In 2019, Merseyside Police had over 2,000 drug drive arrests, 50% more than their drink drive figure – and 50% of these were ‘at work’ drivers.

If we all consider drink driving to be a serious blight on road safety that has taken 50 years to make socially unacceptable, how are we to get Government to properly target drug drivers - and not take 50 years?

Solutions could include: new legislation, better education, ring fenced police funding, better laboratory confirmation and a 'more aware' judiciary.

All of these topics, and more, will be discussed in this podcast to be broadcast as part of the Festival.

Ean Lewin, Managing Director and Founder, D.tec International

Ean Lewin has built D.tec International over the past 25 years to become a leading specialist ‘turn key’ solution provider for drug and alcohol testing in the UK.

D.tec supplies over 300 SMEs and Plcs, many of which are national brands involved in logistics, bus and coach travel, airlines – and even F1.

As a result of the introduction of the Road Traffic Act s5a legislation, D.tec International also now supplies every police force in England, Wales and Scotland with Home Office type approved road side drug screeners.

D.tec is responsible for testing more employees than the police test drug drivers - and the ‘more drug  driving then drink driving’ results seen by police in the past year bears a direct relationship to what D.tec sees in the world of work.

an believes that everyone - from companies to councils - needs to step-up to counter this societal issue.