Salzburg police report 25 percent rise in drug-impaired drivers

Salzburg police stopped nearly 25 percent more drivers under the influence of drugs in the first 11 months of 2026 than in the same period last year, ORF reported. Officers say the increase is partly due to more frequent checks.

Between January 1 and November 11, police recorded 382 cases, compared with 289 a year earlier, said Thomas Schwaiger of the provincial traffic department. Over the past two years, 40 additional officers have been trained to specialise in drug checks, he said.

Last week, an 18-year-old driver from Tennengau allegedly ran a red light in Morzg and ignored police attempts to stop him. He crashed into two cars, injuring two women. A drug test was positive for cannabis and cocaine, and police found drug paraphernalia in his car.

Police reported a decrease in drivers under the influence of alcohol over the same period. Schwaiger said drug users may wrongly assume they are fit to drive once the immediate effects wear off, although some substances remain active and detectable for longer.

Social worker Eckhart Falkensteiner of Suchthilfe Salzburg said intoxication can impair people’s ability to judge their own condition as well as traffic situations, speeds and distances. He also described drug use as rising moderately and becoming more common across society, adding that some young people see trying substances as part of growing up.

Police say they have stepped up roadside drug checks in Salzburg since cannabis was legalised in Germany two and a half years ago. Such checks take longer than alcohol tests because officers test for several substances and saliva tests take more time.