Thousands of Dutch drivers refuse drug blood tests as cases surge
Thousands of drivers in the Netherlands are refusing mandatory blood tests for suspected drug use in traffic, even as penalties are becoming more severe, according to police data obtained by RTL Nieuws.
The number of refusals rose from 1,353 in 2022 to 2,221 in 2025, while the number of drivers caught under the influence of drugs increased from 16,000 to 26,000 over the same period. The issue has drawn political attention, with Justice and Security Minister David van Weel calling the behavior “stupid.”
Under Dutch law, drivers who test positive in a saliva test must undergo a blood test to determine the amount of drugs in their system, which is used in sentencing. The saliva test, introduced in 2017, can detect drugs within minutes.
Authorities say many suspects wrongly believe refusing the blood test will help them avoid conviction.
“Many suspects believe that they do not need to cooperate in order to avoid their own conviction. If they do not have my blood, they cannot prove anything,” traffic lawyer Fabian Siccama told RTL Nieuws. “That is not correct. Refusing is a crime.”
National traffic prosecutor Achilles Damen said penalties for refusal are intentionally severe. “Refusal should not be advantageous, so we punish them heavily,” he said. Punishments can include a 1,000-euro fine, at least 60 hours of community service, and a driving ban of six to 12 months.
Police also say some drivers refuse “on principle.” “Some are immediately defiant during a check. ‘I set my own rules,’ they say,” Damen said.
Siccama said some drivers distrust police and refuse cooperation when ordered to comply. Others claim they are afraid of needles, but “being afraid of needles is no excuse; the court will not accept that,” Damen said.
During a roadside operation along the A73 in Limburg, police and a mobile GGD blood-testing unit screened drivers for alcohol and drug use. Officers detected drugs in the saliva of eight motorists, and one refused the required blood test.
“We explain the consequences multiple times, but at some point it stops,” said Ronald van Hedel, Infrastructure team chief for police in Oost-Brabant.
Van Hedel said the growing number of drug-impaired drivers reflects a broader decline in social norms. “We see that in antisocial driving behavior, but certainly also here. That so many people drive under the influence of narcotics is truly concerning,” he told RTL.
Van Weel said the underlying issue goes beyond enforcement. “If people do not want to cooperate, too bad. They will still be punished; we achieve our goal,” the minister said. “It is about the underlying rudeness behind it.”
“We do not do this for nothing. We do this for road safety,” Van Hedel said. “As police, we need to be able to establish the facts so we can send a signal that this is simply unacceptable.”
