1,436 driver's licenses suspended over drug use

BEIJING - Chinese police authorities said Wednesday that a national traffic safety campaign saw 1,436 coach and truck drivers have their licenses suspended over drug use from March to May.

Of the total, 235 have had their driver's licenses revoked, said a statement from the Ministry of Public Security.

The ministry reported that since the campaign was launched in late March, traffic accidents involving coaches dropped 21.7 percent over the same period last year.

Drug use by a driver does not automatically constitute a violation of the traffic law on the Chinese mainland, but it does pose a great threat to public security.

Police must cite the anti-drug law to make an arrest if a drug-using driver does not make a concrete traffic violation.

Chinese police launched a nationwide program to test coach drivers for drug use in late April, after a fatal traffic accident in east China claimed 14 lives.

A police investigation revealed that a urine sample taken from the coach's driver came back positive for drug use.

The testing of coach drivers will last until the end of June. Those found to have a history of drug use will be suspended from their jobs, and those who are found addicted will be stripped of their driver's licenses and banned from the business, the statement said.