Pubdate: Tue, 27 Sep 2016
Source: Ottawa Sun (CN ON)
Copyright: 2016 Canoe Limited Partnership
Contact: http://www.ottawasun.com/letter-to-editor
Website: http://www.ottawasun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/329
Author: Steven Del Duca
Page: 10

DANGERS OF STONED DRIVING LOOM LARGE

As the federal government is planning to introduce legislation next
year to begin the process of legalizing and regulating marijuana in
Canada, there is an unprecedented urgency to end a new driving
behaviour before it is too late.

We have to get this right. It's essential all public safety officials
and elected representatives make sure the same knowledge that exists
around seatbelts and car seats saving lives exists around driving
sober from alcohol and drugs.

We must first commit to doubling-down our efforts, as policymakers, to
spread the word that driving high is just as dangerous - and as
stupid, as irresponsible, and as reckless - as driving drunk.

In the past 50 years, we have seen dramatic shifts in public
perceptions of once-acceptable driving behaviour - we no longer
consider it acceptable to drive without seatbelts, to put our children
on our laps instead of in car seats, or to drink and drive.

Changes in public policy and discourse have helped curb these
behaviours, and the effectiveness of evidence-based education
campaigns have helped engrain into our youth the social stigmas many
in our generation learned too late.

And as a result, our roads and highways are the safest they've ever
been.

As Ontario's minister of transportation, I believe a key step for the
legalization process will be ensuring we do a good job in educating
those who want to use marijuana that they cannot drive while under its
influence.

It is vital, as the federal government moves forward to deliver on its
election promise, that the commitment to public safety remain at the
core of implementing this change in policy.

According to Doug Beirness, with the Canadian Centre on Substance
Abuse, "Scientific evidence is clear that marijuana use impairs some
driving skills of some people even at low doses."

Much as with alcohol, marijuana has an impact on reaction time and on
the ability to operate a vehicle properly. This puts at risk the
safety of our streets and all users of the road.

When the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety examined drug tests and
fatal crashes among drivers in Washington, a state that legalized
marijuana in December 2012, the study found one in six drivers
involved in fatal crashes in 2014 had recently used marijuana, which
is the most recent data available.

This is why Ontario is already taking the necessary steps to keep our
roads safe. We have partnered with the Canadian Society for Forensic
Science and the RCMP to test and validate roadside devices for driving
under the influence of drugs, and these devices will soon be piloted
in Ontario and across Canada.

And this fall, drivers impaired by drugs will face the same penalties
drunk drivers face, including immediate driver license suspensions,
monetary fines, and, in some cases, a seven-day vehicle impoundment.
Taking action against drug impaired driving in Canada is not new. It
is already a Criminal Code offence to drive while impaired by any
drug. But not since the prohibition of alcohol ended has a substance
such as marijuana, which nearly doubles your chances for an accident,
been so close to nationwide distribution. And all road users must
remember that driving is a privilege, not a right. By choosing to
operate a vehicle, drivers accept the social responsibility to always
keep the roads safe. If they choose to drive dangerously and under the
influence of drugs, they will be charged and they will face
consequences.

We will also continue to work with our many partners, such as MADD
Canada, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Parachute Canada
and the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police, as we continue to
educate the public on the high risks of driving high. And I'll
continue to advocate as Ontario's transportation minister that, as
these new laws and policies come into place, that the safety of our
roads always remains paramount.

Together, we can ensure our families and loved ones continue to travel
on the safest roads in North America.

Del Duca is Ontario's minister of transportation.
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MAP posted-by: Matt