Clubbers who get behind the wheel after a night taking drugs could soon find themselves being targeted by traffic cops.

Police in Australia have started randomly testing drivers for ecstasy, and have developed ground-breaking technology that can detect the presence of the drug in saliva and blood.

It is thought to be the first test of its kind in the world and could soon be adopted by authorities in the UK.

In the past, the police have mainly concentrated their efforts on catching drink drivers, but recent research has shown that drug driving is a major cause of traffic accidents too.

Research

Research by Transport For London (TFL) last March showed that more than a quarter of young people know someone who has driven after taking illegal drugs, with the majority of these presumed to be clubbers who have few transport options when they stumble out of a club at 6am in the morning.

The risks and dangers of driving whilst on pills, coke, or cannabis is obvious, and the penalties are severe – if you get busted whilst on drugs behind the wheel, you face up to six months in prison, a £5,000 fine and a driving ban.

Cannabis and Cocaine

Chris Lines, Head of the London Road Safety Unit said: "Our research shows that the illegal drugs most likely to be used by drug drivers are cannabis and cocaine and many offenders feel that driving under the influence of cannabis isn't dangerous.

This is very worrying - it is dangerous and if you get caught you face severe penalties."

Whilst many clubbers don't think police carry out roadside drug testing in this country, they do and their activity is likely to be stepped up in the future.

Clubs and festivals

In Australia, cops are deliberately targeting clubbers and are patrolling roads and motorways near big clubs, festivals and raves.

So the next time you think about stepping behind the wheel after a night of drugs, think again. Is it worth it?