A total of 18 bus drivers have tested positive for drugs in random screening campaign that is entering its third day Wednesday, reported Youm7.
On its second day, the campaign examined some 90 bus drivers at eight schools in Cairo, Giza and Qalubiya governorates. The 18 positive tests showed traces of hashish, Tramadol and heroin, stated the head of the Central Administration for Security at Ministry of Education, Amr Desouki.
The campaign started at schools last academic year 2014/2015; around 7 percent of 1,400 school bus drivers tested positive for controlled substances.
This academic year, the government plans to test a total of 4,000 drivers at 600 private and international schools.
According to the new amendments to traffic law, the punishment imposed on drivers caught driving under the influence lasts up to three years in prison in case there are causalities.
The government’s escalated step is believed to be triggered by a 2014 crash in which 11 students burned to death; the crash involved a truck driver who tested positive for hashish.
An estimated 24 percent of Egyptian drivers, especially truck drivers, perform their work under the influence of drugs, according to a 2014 national survey by the Anti-Addiction Fund.
