Healthcare professionals should make patients aware of new drug-driving laws and explain how they should comply, the government has urged.

Patients should be aware of the at-risk prescription drugs and understand they could face prosecution if they can't prove they are taking the medicine on the advice of a professional, the Department of Transport (DoT) said in guidance issued last week (July 3).

The new drug-driving laws, due to come into force in March 2015, will make it illegal to drive on high doses of certain prescription drugs. But patients could be exempt if they have a ‘medical defence' – proof that they have been legally prescribed a medicine at this dose.

The DoT stressed that it was the duty of prescribers and suppliers of medicines to give suitable clinical advice to patients on whether they were safe to drive on certain medicines. Healthcare professionals should advise patients who could safely drive on these doses to carry evidence of their prescription when driving, the DoT said.

However, the DoT stated that it was ultimately the responsibility of all drivers to determine whether their driving was impaired by the effect of drugs.

The drugs covered by the new laws fall into two groups. The first group is commonly abused drugs such as ketamine and cannabis, for which low limits have been set, and the second includes prescription medicines where high dosages could pose a risk. This group includes diazepam, lorazepam and oxazepam.

C+D reported in the autumn that PSNC and Pharmacy Voice were concerned that the government crackdown on drug-driving would result in pharmacists having to give time-consuming advice when dispensing, therefore increasing their workload. They described the new rules as putting an additional burden on the "already stretched" pharmacy workforce.

The pharmacy bodies also voiced concerns that verifying prescription data for the police could be a potential breach of data protection.

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