Despite existing law, and education and awareness efforts, impaired driving continues to be a leading criminal cause of death in Canada, claiming hundreds of lives and causing tens of thousands of injuries each year.

In recent years there have been two important changes to legislation that attempt to eliminate impaired driving offences by providing police and prosecution with improved investigative powers to detect and prosecute those who choose to drive impaired.

On December 18, 2018, part two of federal legislation Bill-C46 came into effect, which introduced substantial changes to criminal code driving laws. The most impactful change with Bill-C46 was under section 320.27(2) CC and is referred to as Mandatory Alcohol Screening (MAS). This section allows police who are equipped with alcohol screening devices, to conduct a roadside screening breath test for alcohol impairment with any motorist at the beginning of each traffic stop, whether they suspect the motorist has consumed alcohol or not.

MAS is widely recognized as an effective anti-impaired driving measure. In use for over four decades, it has been attributed to reducing fatal motor vehicle collisions, by as much as 25%, in countries such as Ireland and Australia.

The test is non-discriminatory and is very quick, taking less than a minute, to complete. Officers open a new mouthpiece in front of the driver each time the test is administered, and all equipment is sanitized between each vehicle stop.

A second important legislative change came into effect in Alberta on December 1, 2020, when Bill 21, The Provincial Administrative Penalties Act came into force. As an additional deterrent for impaired driving, under the new legislation immediate roadside penalties were introduced including escalating driver’s licence suspensions, fines, vehicle seizure lengths, mandatory education programs and an expanded ignition interlock program.

For more information on these impaired driving legislative changes visit: https://www.alberta.ca/criminal-level-impaired-driving.aspx

Drive safe Medicine Hat!

Media Contact:

Rita Sittler
Medicine Hat Police Service
Ph: 403-529-8416