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Date: April 30, 2024 Tue
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Results for driving under the influence (canada)
5 results foundAuthor: Perreault, Samuel Title: Impaired Driving in Canada, 2011 Summary: Impaired driving has been a recognized criminal act in Canada since 1921. Despite a sizeable drop in the impaired driving rate since the mid-1980s, impaired driving is the leading cause of criminal death in Canada. Impaired driving continues to be an important issue for governments throughout Canada, as well as for police services, the justice system, community organizations and the general public. In Canada, the Criminal Code prohibits driving while one’s ability to operate a vehicle is impaired by alcohol or drugs. It is also an offence to drive with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) in excess of 80 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood. In recent decades, the federal government has implemented numerous measures to combat impaired driving. For example, a number of amendments have been made to the Criminal Code to increase the minimum and maximum penalties for impaired driving, with the most recent amendment introduced in July 2008. In addition to the measures taken by the federal government, the provinces and territories have instituted administrative penalties or controls that allow immediate action to be taken against suspected impaired drivers. All jurisdictions except Quebec have also implemented temporary preventive suspensions for drivers with a BAC that is considered elevated, but still below the criminal limit of .08 set out in the Criminal Code. As well, all provinces have adopted zero BAC limits for novice drivers as part of graduated driver-licensing schemes (Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights 2009), while half have adopted similar limits for all young drivers, whether or not they are novice. These provincial and territorial administrative sanctions enable police to remove drivers who have been drinking from the road, yet avoid the longer time required for the police to process a Criminal Code impaired driving charge (Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights 2009). This Juristat article analyzes trends in police-reported impaired driving in Canada, as defined by the Criminal Code, the penalties imposed by the courts, as well as characteristics of those admitted to correctional services for an impaired driving conviction. Details: Ottawa: Statistics Canada, 2013. 29p. Source: Internet Resource: Juristat Article: Accessed January 31, 2013 at: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/85-002-x/2013001/article/11739-eng.pdf Year: 2013 Country: Canada URL: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/85-002-x/2013001/article/11739-eng.pdf Shelf Number: 127463 Keywords: Driving Under the Influence (Canada)Drugged DrivingDrunk Driving |
Author: Robertson, Robyn D. Title: Impaired Driving Risk Assessment: A Primer for Policymakers. Summary: The primer is the result of a partnership between principals from the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF), the Addiction Research Program of the Douglas Mental Health University (McGill) Institute, Université de Montréal and Université de Sherbrooke under funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) in Transdisciplinary Studies in Driving While Impaired Onset, Persistence, Prevention and Treatment. As part of the project, researchers ran focus groups with remedial impaired driver program practitioners and surveyed justice professionals from across Canada. The report provides an overview of risk assessment practices in Canada for impaired drivers and provides a snapshot of the practices used by driver licensing and criminal justice practitioners. It summarizes current risk assessment practices and describes the different ways that impaired drivers are assessed for risk in both systems. In addition, the primer highlights the strengths and limitations of practices in Canadian driver licensing and criminal justice systems and includes recommendations to inform and/or guide future efforts to develop or improve best practices related to risk assessment in both systems. Details: Ottawa: Traffic Injury Research Foundation, 2013. 52p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 9, 2013 at: http://www.tirf.ca/publications/publications_show.php?pub_id=291 Year: 2013 Country: Canada URL: http://www.tirf.ca/publications/publications_show.php?pub_id=291 Shelf Number: 128694 Keywords: Driving Under the Influence (Canada)Drunk DrivingRisk Assessment |
Author: Beasley, Erin E. Title: A Comparison of Drug- and Alcohol-involved Motor Vehicle Driver Fatalities Summary: Drugs and driving is an emerging issue both within Canada and internationally, but knowledge about this topic is still in its infancy. This project was designed to complement and extend our previous and ongoing work on drug-impaired driving. Data from two distinct sources (coroners‘ reports and motor vehicle crash records) were merged to compare and contrast the circumstances and characteristics of fatally injured drivers of motor vehicles who have used either alcohol, drugs or both, and the crashes in which they were involved. The first of these datasets, the Fatality Database, houses information on all persons killed in motor vehicle collisions in Canada. This database contains the results of alcohol and drug tests performed by coroners on victims of motor vehicle collisions in Canada. These data were linked with detailed information about the crash contained in the National Collision Database, which is collected and maintained by Transport Canada. From 2000–2007, 12,978 drivers died in vehicle crashes on public roadways in Canada. Of these driver fatalities, 84.0% were tested for alcohol and 46.4% were tested for drugs. There were 5,929 drivers that were tested for both alcohol and drugs. Of these drivers, 2,689 (45.4%) had no alcohol or drugs present, 1,097 (18.5%) tested positive for a psychoactive drug (but negative for alcohol), 1,301 (21.9%) tested positive for alcohol only, and 842 (14.2%) drivers tested positive for both alcohol and at least one psychoactive drug. These findings indicate that the extent of drug use among fatally injured drivers (33%) is comparable to that of alcohol use (37%). The most common psychoactive substances found among fatally injured drivers were central nervous system depressants, cannabis, central nervous system stimulants, and narcotic analgesics. Different patterns of drug use by gender and age were also evident. An examination of the circumstances and factors associated with the crash provides evidence that collisions involving drugs were very different in nature than those involving alcohol. For example, whereas alcohol-involved fatal crashes were most common during early morning hours on weekends, drug-involved fatal crashes were more likely than alcohol-involved crashes to occur during daytime hours on weekdays. There was also a tendency for alcohol-involved crashes to involve a single vehicle; drug-involved crashes were more likely to involve more than one vehicle. The overall pattern of findings indicates that the use of drugs by drivers is an issue distinct and separate from that of alcohol use by drivers and therefore requires a unique approach to prevention, education and enforcement to reduce the number of fatal crashes involving driver drug use and improve overall road safety in Canada. Details: Ottawa, ONT: Canadiain Centre on Substance Abuse, 2011. 39p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 18, 2013 at: http://www.ccsa.ca/2011%20CCSA%20Documents/2011_CCSA_Drug-and_Alcohol-Involved_Motor_Vehicle_Driver_Fatalities_en.pdf Year: 2011 Country: Canada URL: http://www.ccsa.ca/2011%20CCSA%20Documents/2011_CCSA_Drug-and_Alcohol-Involved_Motor_Vehicle_Driver_Fatalities_en.pdf Shelf Number: 129444 Keywords: Driving Under the Influence (Canada)Drugged DrivingDrunk DrivingMotor Vehicle Fatalieis |
Author: Beirness, Douglas J. Title: Alcohol and Drug Use Among Drivers: British Columbia Roadside Survey 2010 Summary: In the spring of 2010, the Government of British Columbia announced new sanctions for drinking drivers. As part of an evaluation of the impact of these new sanctions, a random survey of drivers was conducted at preselected locations in British Columbia from Wednesday to Saturday nights in June 2010. The primary purpose was to gather information on the prevalence of alcohol use among nighttime drivers to be used as a pre-legislation baseline for the evaluation. This study was also intended to extend the findings from a previous Roadside Survey (Beirness and Beasley 2009; 2010) to include a community in northern British Columbia as well as a community from the interior. An additional purpose of the survey was to gather information on the prevalence of drug use among drivers in the selected communities to complement and extend the information gathered as part of the 2008 Roadside Survey. Drivers were randomly sampled from the traffic stream between 21:00 and 03:00 and were asked to provide a voluntary breath sample to measure their alcohol use and an oral fluid sample to be tested subsequently for the presence of drugs. Of the 2,840 vehicles selected, 86% of drivers provided a breath sample and 71% provided a sample of oral fluid. Key findings include: • 9.9% of drivers had been drinking; • 7.2% of drivers tested positive for drug use; • Cannabis and cocaine were the drugs most frequently detected in drivers; • Alcohol use among drivers was most common on weekends and during late-night hours; drug use was more evenly distributed across all survey nights and times; • Alcohol use was most common among drivers aged 19 to 24 and 25 to 34; drug use was more evenly distributed across all age groups; and, • While driving after drinking has decreased considerably since1995, the number of drivers with blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) sufficient to be subject to provincial sanctions (i.e., over 50 mg/ dL ) or Criminal sanctions i (i.e., over 80 mg/dL) continues to be an area of concern. The results show that drug use among drivers is not uncommon and that the pattern of drug use by drivers differs from that of alcohol use. For example, whereas the prevalence of alcohol use increases during late night hours, particularly on Friday and Saturday nights, drug use appears more consistent across days and times. The different patterns of alcohol and drug use by drivers suggest that driving after drug use presents a unique behaviour that differs from driving after drinking, indicating the need for a separate and distinct approach to enforcement, public education, prevention, and research. In comparison to previous surveys conducted in British Columbia since 1995, there has been a considerable reduction in the proportion of drivers found to have been drinking. However, the proportion of drivers with BACs over 50 mg/dL and over 80 mg/dL remain high, suggesting the need for further initiatives directed specifically at these high risk groups. Details: Ottawa, ON: Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, 2011. 23p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 18, 2013 at: http://www.ccsa.ca/2011%20CCSA%20Documents/2011_CCSA_Alcohol_and_Drug_Use_Among_Drivers_en.pdf Year: 2011 Country: Canada URL: http://www.ccsa.ca/2011%20CCSA%20Documents/2011_CCSA_Alcohol_and_Drug_Use_Among_Drivers_en.pdf Shelf Number: 129449 Keywords: Breath TestsDriving Under the Influence (Canada)Drugged DrivingDrunk Driving |
Author: Beasley, Erin E. Title: Alcohol and Drug Use Among Drivers Following the Introduction of Immediate Roadside Prohibitions in British Columbia: Findings from the 2012 Roadside Survey Summary: In the spring of 2010, the Government of British Columbia announced new measures to deal with drinking drivers that would be implemented in September 2010. The Immediate Roadside Prohibition (IRP) program involved a series of increased sanctions applied at roadside for drivers with blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) starting at 50 mg/dL. As part of an evaluation of the impact of the IRP legislation on the drinking-driving behaviour of drivers, a survey of drivers was conducted in five communities in British Columbia in June 2010 and again in June 2012. Drivers were randomly selected from the traffic stream between 21:00 and 03:00 on Wednesday through Saturday nights and asked to provide a voluntary breath sample to measure their alcohol use and an oral fluid sample to be tested subsequently for the presence of drugs. Of the 2,513 vehicles selected for the survey in 2012, 89% of drivers provided a breath sample and 70% provided a sample of oral fluid. Driving after drinking decreased significantly following the introduction of IRP. In particular, the percentage of drivers with BACs over 80 mg/dL decreased by 59%; drivers with BACs of at least 50 mg/dL decreased by 44%. Compared to similar roadside surveys dating back to 1995, the levels of drinking and driving were the lowest ever recorded. The decreases in drinking and driving were not restricted to specific sub-groups of drivers but were universal across age groups, sex, and communities. The results also revealed a changing pattern of drinking of driving. For example, the typical pattern of increased drinking and driving on weekend nights was not observed and the prevalence of drinking drivers on the road during late night hours was less than half that found in 2010. No driver with a BAC over 80 mg/dL reported that they were coming from a bar, pub or nightclub. Together, these findings are evidence of a profound and universal change in drinking and driving in British Columbia following the introduction of the IRP legislation in September 2010. The prevalence of drug use by drivers in 2012 did not change from the levels reported in 2010. Overall, 7.4% of drivers tested positive for drugs; in 2010 7.2% of drivers were drug-positive. Once again, cannabis and cocaine were the most commonly detected substances. As was the case in previous surveys, the pattern of drug use by drivers was more consistent than alcohol use across age groups, days of the week, and time of night. It was evident from the interviews and questionnaires that drivers in British Columbia were aware of the new IRP legislation and remain concerned about impaired driving. They appear willing to accept tough measures in support of efforts to improve the safety of the roads. Several challenges remain to sustain the observed changes and further reduce the impact of impaired driving. Male drivers between 25 and 34 years of age remain the most likely to drive after consuming impairing amounts of alcohol. Although females are less likely than males to drink and drive, when they do, they tend to do so with elevated BACs. Of the drinking drivers that remain, they tend to be frequent and/or heavy drinkers. Also, the overall prevalence of drug use among drivers has not changed but there were increases in drug use among certain subgroups. These issues continue to be in need of further study and extra attention is required to develop appropriate and effective policies and programs for education, prevention, enforcement, and rehabilitation. Details: Ottawa, ON: Beirness & Associates, Inc., 2012. 42p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 22, 2013 at: http://www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/osmv/shareddocs/bc-roadside-report2012.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Canada URL: http://www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/osmv/shareddocs/bc-roadside-report2012.pdf Shelf Number: 129480 Keywords: Driving Under the Influence (Canada)Drugged DrivingDrunk Driving |