August is Impaired Driving Month

By Vicki Winger

Road Safety awareness is year-round. However, August is the month to focus on impaired driving which encompasses both alcohol and drug impairment. Under the Criminal Code, impaired driving is defined as operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

• In 2015, nearly half of all 24-hour licence suspensions in Alberta were drug impairment
• On average, 7,550 people are convicted of impaired driving in Alberta each year
• Alberta is above the national average for drug-impaired driving at 55 per cent

In anticipation of the possibility of legalization of cannabis, police are taking steps to ensure they are ready and able to handle such investigations. There are also increased concerns over road safety due to drug-impaired driving. Public Safety Canada and the RCMP, in collaboration with the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators, undertook a pilot project with law enforcement from across Canada to test the use of oral fluid drug-screening devices as tools to enhance the enforcement of drug-impaired driving. The pilot project ended March 6, 2017 and was deemed successful. These devices are a useful additional tool for Canadian Law Enforcement to better detect individuals who drive under the influence of drugs.

According to the final report on the study, the most common drugs found in drivers were cannabis (61 per cent), followed by methamphetamines and amphetamines (23 per cent each), cocaine (14 per cent), opiates (nine per cent), and benzodiazephines (three percent).

A Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) is an evaluator who is accredited by the International Association of Chiefs of Police and is recognized as an evaluating officer by the Criminal code of Canada. The DRE program has been in place for some time now.

Specific to our area, the Whitecourt Integrated Traffic Unit now has a DRE. The DRE is fully trained, certified, and ready to perform evaluations as required for detecting drug impairment.

Overall, the Alberta RCMP Traffic Services’ goal is to keep Albertans safe on the roads and highways across the province.