MALE drivers accounted for 90 per cent of 629 drug driving arrests by Surrey Police from January to December last year.

The force reported that of those, 70 per cent were aged 18 to 34 and that their figures showed a spike in arrests between 10pm and 3am.

New legislation introduced by the Government, makes it illegal to drive while over the specified limit of 17 legal and illegal drugs.

Officers are reminding offenders that they are now far more likely to be caught and convicted.

Chief Inspector Warren Franklin, of the Surrey and Sussex Roads Policing Unit, said: “Prior to the introduction of this drug-driving law, we had to rely on a roadside impairment test to indicate where a driver may be under the influence of drugs. Now, with this new legislation and the DrugWipe kit – a tool which tests for a number of drugs at the roadside – we can prove it in a matter of minutes.

“This makes is a lot easier to catch and convict criminals, and this is reflected in the increased number of arrests made since the law was introduced.

“What hasn’t changed is our stance on roads policing – we take a zero tolerance approach to drug-driving, and anyone caught committing this offence will be dealt with robustly.”

“The consequences of drug-driving can be catastrophic, and it is well documented that driving under the influence of drink or drugs is one of the four most common causes of fatal and serious injury collisions in the UK."