Police Struggle with Rising Drugged Driving Cases... "If Suspects Refuse Testing, That's It"

113 Cases of License Revocation for Drugged Driving Last Year
Warrant Must Be Obtained Without Consent

As drug-impaired driving accidents increase every year, the police are struggling because they cannot forcibly conduct drug screening tests without the driver's consent.

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According to Seo Young-kyo, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, the number of license cancellations due to drug-impaired driving was 58 in 2019, 54 in 2020, 83 in 2021, 81 in 2022, and 113 in 2023. A police official lamented, "Even if it is obvious that someone has used drugs, if the person refuses, we have no choice but to obtain a search warrant."

Cases of refusing drug screening tests are frequent. On the 27th, a man in his 40s, Mr. A, who caused an accident near Eonju Station in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, refused the police's request for a drug screening test. Mr. A caused another traffic accident just two hours after being questioned by the police.

On the 12th, the Gangnam Police Station in Seoul booked a man in his 20s, Mr. B, who threatened a resident with a weapon after the resident asked him to move his car from a villa. Mr. B refused the drug screening test, and the police applied for an arrest warrant.

Since January this year, the National Police Agency has distributed simple drug test kits that can be checked immediately by spitting. After rubbing a collection sponge around the mouth area and waiting about three minutes, six types of drug components, including methamphetamine, can be detected. This method avoids the hassle of collecting the driver's urine and allows relatively quick detection of drug substances without leaving the accident scene. However, it still cannot be conducted without the driver's consent.

Experts unanimously agree that legislative supplementation is needed regarding drug-impaired driving. Professor Lee Yun-ho, Chair Professor of the Department of Police Science at Korea Cyber University, pointed out, "Considering that Korea is no longer a drug-free country, regulations allowing compulsory testing when drug use is suspected are necessary. It is time to fill the legal gap so that refusal to undergo testing can be punished."

Professor Kwak Dae-kyung of Dongguk University's Police and Judicial College also advised, "There needs to be a social consensus that simple drug tests must be properly conducted for the safety of society as a whole, followed by discussions and legal regulations."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.