More than 10% of young drivers regularly take to the wheel under the influence of drink or drugs, according to a shocking new survey out today.
As many as 17% of young drivers admitted regularly taking cannabis, 12% owned up to having cocaine regularly and 10% admitted taking ecstasy.
More than two in five felt "fine" to drive after drug-taking, while 31% felt all right to motor after consuming alcohol, the survey of more than 8000 17 to 24-year-olds in the UK by motoring website and magazine Auto Trader found.
It follows growing concern over the carnage on Scotland's roads fuelled by young people driving under the influence of drink or drugs.
Other alarming revelations included a worrying 90% of 17 to 24-year-old drivers who rated their driving as "good" or "very good", despite the fact one young driver or passenger is killed or seriously injured every hour on UK roads.
Many were unsure of legal alcohol limits, and 8% of young drivers had had an accident as a result of driving under the influence of drink or drugs, while 11% had had a near-miss.
An evening of clubbing, attending a rave or having a night out with friends were the main reasons for driving under the influence of drugs or drink.
A spokesman for Rospa Scotland (Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents), which has just appointed a new road safety manager for Scotland, said: "We appeal to drivers in Scotland, particularly young drivers, to take notice of this important road safety message and realise that if they don't it could cost them their life, or someone else's life, or their job."
He repeated calls to toughen laws by reducing the drink-drive limit from 80mg of alcohol in 80ml of blood to 50mg alcohol in 80ml blood - as it is in other countries.
The research also showed road rage was an issue for young drivers, with 80% admitting shouting at other road users, 65% gesticulating, 30% threatening other drivers and nearly 10% physically assaulting another road user.
Jonathan Williams, head of marketing at Trader Media Group, said an awareness-raising campaign was being launched in response to the findings. He said: "These survey results from young drivers are shocking, and the levels at which young motorists are being seriously injured or killed are frightening."
Last month Scotland's fire and rescue services launched a campaign to improve road safety among young people as statistics revealed one-third of all road deaths involve people under 25.
Stewart Stevenson MSP backed the Safe Drive Stay Alive 2007 campaign, aimed at educating young people on responsible driving and reducing the number of deaths on Scotland's roads.
In September Scottish campaigners called for random drug testing of motorists following the conviction of a man who killed a four-year-old Edinburgh girl while driving under the influence of a cocktail of drugs.
Edinburgh father-of-three Daniel Jackson had taken methadone and valium prior to hitting Olivia Donachie and her mother, Rachel, as they made their way home from nursery in May this year.
Jackson, 31, was jailed for 13 years after admitting the culpable homicide of Olivia and seriously injuring her mother outside their home at Redford Drive, Edinburgh.
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