Drugs found in 70 per cent of fatal Canberra car crashes

There have been 18 fatalities on Canberra roads in 2022 - the highest death toll in more than a decade.

The deaths occurred in 15 accidents.

The territory's chief police officer, Neil Gaughan, has revealed, in answering a question on notice, toxicity results had been returned for 10 drivers involved in those accidents.

Seven drivers were found to have cannabis in their system and five of those had both cannabis and alcohol or meth in their system.

Deputy Commissioner Gaughan provided the information as part of the parliamentary inquiry into dangerous driving.

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The inquiry is examining the criminal justice and police responses to dangerous driver offending.

In a hearing last month, Deputy Commissioner Gaughan told the Assembly's justice and community safety inquiry it had been a horror year and first responders had never experienced a year like this.

"We have lost 18 lives on our roads in 2022," he said.

"For the size and population of Canberra, that figure is just way too high. I do not think it would be remiss of me to say that it has been a horror year for Canberra.

"ACT Policing and emergency service responders have likely not encountered a year like this before, or certainly for at least a decade."

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