Families call for stricter laws against drug-driving killers

Families whose relatives were killed by drug drivers are demanding police be given new powers to revoke licenses on the roads if they suspect a motorist has been over the limit.

Charlie Ward, whose father Steven was murdered by a drug driver, said it was “heartbreaking” that he would never walk her down the aisle.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) wants to be able to impose an immediate ban where a driver has failed a roadside saliva drug test, while another blood test is analysed.

The government said those detained faced harsh penalties, including fines and prison terms.

Steven Ward, 62, died from head injuries in 2024 after being hit by a car just meters from his home in Englefield Green, Surrey.

The driver, Samuel Russell, 37, of Sutton, was more than 10 times over the drug driving limit and almost three times over the drink driving limit.

He was jailed in November after admitting causing death by dangerous driving.

Ward, 31, said it had been “an accident waiting to happen” after discovering in court that Russell had used drugs and alcohol to self-medicate for mental health problems, and had a previous conviction for drink-driving.

“The man who did it was going too fast and crossed to the other side of the road, climbed onto the pavement and hit my father from behind as he was walking,” Mrs Ward said.

“My mother remembers hearing a loud bang, because her house was a few doors away, then she heard the ambulances and saw the helicopter.”

Ms Ward, who lives in Leamington Spa, said: “I think police officers should be able to get licenses if people test positive on the road.

“It would give families who have something like this happen to a sense that they have immediate support.”

Linzi Stewart’s brother Tim Burgess was also killed in 2024 by a reckless driver high on cocaine and alcohol in Cheshire.

The driver still had a license despite having been arrested after an accident a few days earlier. He was eventually imprisoned for 12 years.

Ms Stewart is campaigning for a change in the law that would allow dangerous drivers and those under the influence of drink or drugs to have their licenses revoked, pending trial and sentencing.

“To know that he was killed by someone who shouldn’t have been on the road, that’s what’s shocking and the government needs to review those laws,” he said.

Their petition, which has 195,000 signatures, also calls for repeat drivers who drink and use drugs to be kept in custody until they appear before a magistrate for sentencing or commitment to the Crown Court.

“I think for the first offense we should consider license revocation, bail conditions, possible curfew and etiquette, something to serve as a deterrent,” he added.

“People think they can do it and get away with it.”

Government figures show a 78% increase in drug-involved driving deaths between 2014 and 2023.

Under the current system, motorists suspected of driving under drugs can undergo a driving impairment test, a type of roadside coordination test, to assess their fitness to drive.

They may also be asked to give a preliminary saliva sample. If it comes back positive, a confirmatory blood test is required, but it can take weeks for labs to analyze it.

Superintendent Marc Clothier of the NPCC is asking for the power to stop someone driving while that analysis is being carried out.

“We’re looking at a time of about eight weeks for most of the tests to be reversed and come back to us,” he said.

“One of the things we’ve been pushing for is around some sort of road hazard prevention notice or provisional disqualification.”

“That would allow us to take people off the road and prevent them from driving if they have tested positive on the road, while we wait for that formal analysis and for proper justice to be carried out.”

Last year, Sussex Police Chief Constable and NPCC Road Policing Officer Jo Shiner, whose father died in a crash when she was a teenager, called for stronger, more effective legislation “to allow police and other agencies [revoke] the license of those who commit crimes more quickly”.

The Department for Transport said it was working closely with law enforcement partners to improve efficiency while ensuring the integrity of the results supporting prosecutions.

He said suppliers were reporting results to police within the legal six-month deadline and there were no delays to road traffic.

David Barton, a Kent motoring solicitor, believes the existing powers the DVLA already has to penalize a driver with a history of drug use could be put to greater use.

“If they have a record and are repeat offenders, a lot of people would say that’s something the police should be liaising with the DVLA about,” he said.

“If they are habitual drug users then the DVLA, as a regulator, has the power to intervene and revoke a licence.”

Detective Sergeant Chris Wade, who investigates fatal and serious accidents in Kent and is a disability instructor, said he had seen a “significant increase” in the number of drug drivers.

“We’re now in a position where vehicles are driving past us and they’re doing drugs behind the wheel,” he said.

“If you had told 19-year-old me when I joined the organization what was going to happen, I wouldn’t have believed you.

“Attitudes around drug driving certainly haven’t reached the level they were around alcohol.”

Ministry of Justice data shows there were 28,179 convictions for drug-related driving offenses in the year ending June 2025.

That’s 14% more than the previous year and almost double the 14,889 convictions in the year ending June 2020.

A government spokesperson said: “We are committed to making our roads safer.

“Our new Road Safety Strategy, the first in over a decade, will introduce more measures to keep people safe and our latest THINK! campaign sends a strong warning about the dangers and consequences of drug driving.”