An Anchorage cab driver's refusal to take a drug test after a crash in April has led the city to try and tighten post-accident drug-testing requirements for chauffeurs, taxicab and limousine drivers.

An ordinance introduced to the Anchorage Assembly on Tuesday makes a drug test mandatory for any vehicle-for-hire crash in which a passenger is in the vehicle. The ordinance also would require drug testing after an accident if any damage occurs to any vehicle or property, and gives drivers two hours to take the test if ordered to do so.

Right now, drivers have to report the accident and take a drug-test within 32 hours, but only if death or injury occurs, if the driver receives a citation, or if damage to any property or vehicle exceeds $2,000.

Suzie Smith, a representative of the Anchorage Taxicab Permit Owners Association, says the taxi drivers association supports the ordinance. She said it's an effort to clarify regulations that are in place to protect the drivers.

"We've always had post-accident drug-testing," Smith said. "They're just making the wordage more clear."

Officials say the ordinance stems from an accident two months ago when a cab was rear-ended. It was a minor crash, but there was a passenger in the car, said city transportation inspector Eric Musser.

As a matter of policy, Musser said, he requires drug tests after accidents where a passenger was in the vehicle. He said driver impairment is always alleged if the passenger sues.

But in this case, the driver refused to go for a test. Musser said the driver made several excuses for not being able to take the test, including not being able to get a ride to the facility — despite his connection to the taxi business.

In six years on the job, Musser said, no one had ever refused the drug testing.

"Chauffeurs are generally pretty compliant. They understand it's there to protect themselves and protect the owners," Musser said. A refusal "is not an issue that's ever come up," he said.

Musser said he at first suspended the driver's permit for refusing to take the test. But he lifted it, he said, after he realized the regulations weren't clear on requirements for crashes where a passenger was in the vehicle.

Musser declined to release the name of the driver and the taxi company. Cab drivers work as independent contractors, sometimes for multiple dispatch companies, during the week.