Dr. Walker questions the Minister for Road Safety about the use of eye tracking technology for detecting cannabis-impaired drivers in WA, referencing Swinburne University research. The Minister responds that such tests are not currently used and cites concerns about cost-effectiveness and scientific basis.

AnsweredQoN 785Legislative Council
Asked
9 August 2023
Portfolio
Road Safety

QuestionView source ↗

CANNABIS — DRIVER IMPAIRMENT TESTING
785. Hon Dr BRIAN WALKER to the Leader of the House
representing the Minister for Road Safety:
I congratulate the minister on his
new portfolio and, in so doing, I refer him to research published recently by
academics at Swinburne University of Technology in Victoria that concludes that
eye tracking may assist in determining cannabis-related driver impairment.
(1) Do ocular movement tests form
any part of the current impairment testing regime on our WA roads?
(2) If no to (1), why not?
(3) Will the
minister commit to investigating the merits of using eye tracking, which is
used in many other jurisdictions as a test
of focus and sobriety, here in WA, especially when an incident relates to
cannabis use?

AnswerView source ↗

I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question. I represent the Minister for Road Safety.
(1) No.
(2) Enforcement of impaired driving
rules is an operational matter for police.
(3) The Road
Safety Commission is not aware of any cost-effective, easy-to-administer and
scientifically based objective ocular movement test for general roadside use by
police officers.

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