Burnaby, British Columbia – The British Columbia Automobile Association (BCAA) is applauding Bill C-2, which as of July 2 will require drivers to submit to a Standardized Field Sobriety Test for impairment when demanded by a peace officer who suspects they are driving while impaired by drugs.
The bill empowers Canadian police who suspect a driver of being impaired by any drug, whether illegal, prescription or over-the-counter, to demand the subject submit to a breathalyzer test, physical coordination tests and an assessment by a drug recognition expert using the Drug Evaluation and Classification assessment, along with a demand of bodily fluid samples, including blood, saliva or urine.
“We are very pleased with this new law,” said Allan Lamb, executive director of the BCAA Traffic Safety Foundation. “Reducing the number of drug-impaired drivers on B.C.’s roads is a priority for the Foundation. I am particularly concerned that young drivers who act responsibly toward the problem of drinking and driving have no idea that they are also impaired after using cannabis.”
The BCAA said that epidemiologic studies of drug use among fatally injured drivers in Canada indicate that drugs, often in combination with alcohol, are detected in up to 30 per cent of them. Public opinion surveys indicate that about 17 per cent of Canadian drivers report having driven within two hours of using an impairing substance. According to the Canadian Addiction Survey, five per cent of drivers in Canada admitted driving within two hours of using cannabis, a 50 per cent increase since 1989. Among those aged 16 to 18, 21 per cent reported having driven after using cannabis, slightly higher than the 20 per cent who reported driving after alcohol use.
New penalties under the law include a fine of not less than $1,000 for the first offence, and imprisonment for the second offence of not less than 30 days and not less than 120 days for each subsequent offence. Anyone convicted of operating a vehicle under the influence of drugs, alcohol or both will be prohibited from driving a vehicle for one to three years after the first offence, and two to five years for the second offence. There are currently over 1,100 officers in British Columbia trained to recognize drug impairment in drivers; officers with such training will now be present at road checks in communities around the province.
