Pubdate: Sun, 24 Dec 2006 Source: Ottawa Sun (CN ON) Copyright: 2006 Canoe Limited Partnership Contact: http://www.ottawasun.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/329 Author: Aedan Helmer Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?224 (Cannabis and Driving) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada) GET DRUNKS OFF ROAD, GROUP URGES Repeat Offenders Common: Poll A poll conducted by the Traffic Injury Research Foundation has reached an alarming conclusion. "Canada has a drinking and driving problem," says Ward Vanlaar of TIRF. The poll found that Canadians made 10.2 million drunk driving trips in the past year -- the vast majority by only 4.4% of drivers. "With such a large number of drinking and driving trips being made by repeat offenders, the more of them we get off the road, the better," Vanlaar says. TIRF says the public is "extremely concerned" about drinking and driving, listing it as their top road safety issue. Recent legislation tabled by the Tory government seeks to increase penalties for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. With suspected drug use, however, enforcement of the law is problematic. The proposed changes aim to provide tools to police to make it easier to identify the signs of drug use. Under current law, providing urine or blood samples is voluntary. If the legislation is passed, Justice Minister Vic Toews will change that. "We are ensuring that drug-impaired drivers face similar testing to that which drunk drivers now face," Toews said in a statement. "We are strengthening legislation to make it easier to arrest and get convictions for clear cases of drug and alcohol impairment." First, a standardized sobriety test -- the same one police currently use for alcohol -- would be administered at the scene. If there is reasonable suspicion of impairment, the driver would be escorted to the police station for evaluation by a drug recognition expert. Only after failing these two tests a driver would be subject to submitting a sample. "It's carefully crafted so that if a person actually reaches the third step, it's very, very probable the person is under the influence," said a spokesperson in Toews' office. Sgt. Pat Frost of the Ottawa Police is skeptical that the law will be passed without altering the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. 'HARD ENOUGH TIME' "We have a hard enough time getting breathalyzers," says Frost, who is in charge of Ottawa's RIDE program. "For urine samples, I have to stand beside you to make sure it's your urine. You think that's going to go over?" With alcohol, the evidence is much more credible, Frost said. Without providing voluntary fluid samples, a conviction for drug impairment is "based solely on observation." Recent studies have shown marijuana use among drivers has increased drastically since 1989, especially among youth. Other studies have indicated that young people feel safer getting behind the wheel after smoking pot than they would after drinking, both in terms of the likelihood of having a crash or getting arrested. Frost said police badly need new legislation to make roads safer. "The last thing you want is a generation of kids growing up thinking they can circumvent the law." - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom