All drivers in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area who are pulled over by Ontario Provincial Police highway safety officers will now be asked to provide a breath sample as part of a new enforcement
policy taking aim at drinking and driving.The Ontario Provincial Police say drivers pulled over by its highway safety officers for routine traffic stops will be asked to provide breath samples as part of a campaign to deter impaired driving. All drivers in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area who are pulled over by Ontario Provincial Police highway safety officers will now be asked to provide a breath sample — no matter what they're stopped for.
The initiative is being praised by the country's leading anti-impaired driving advocacy organization, but is being criticized as unconstitutional by a national civil rights group.It is illegal in Canada for a driver to operate a vehicle if impaired by alcohol, drugs or both. Drivers with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 per cent are considered impaired under the Criminal Code and subject to potential charges.
Schmidt said impaired driving charges are up almost 30 per cent so far this year compared to the average from the previous five years, and that 11,000 impaired driving charges were laid last year compared to 8,800 in 2019. Fifty-one people died in alcohol or drug related crashes last year across the province.
MADD Canada CEO Steve Sullivan says the increased risk of getting caught will deter drivers from driving drunk. Steve Sullivan, CEO of MADD Canada, said his organization has pushed for an expansion of mandatory alcohol screening for years.
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