Killer drivers to be drug tested in Victoria

Victorian drivers who kill or seriously injure others will undergo mandatory blood testing for drugs, including heroin.

Police and emergency services minister Kim Wells says the new laws, the first of their kind in Australia, will be the toughest in the country.

"Victoria will be the first state in Australia to introduce this stringent new law and will also be the first ... to test for heroin," he said.

"The change takes away any ambiguity with regard to discretionary police powers," he said.

He said 26 percent of drivers killed last year tested positive to drugs, including cannabis, ecstasy, or methamphetamines, including ice.

"And just as horrifying is that (another) 24 people were killed and 121 people were injured by drivers who returned a positive drug test," he said.