Alcohol screening at road side stops set for March
Regina police will conduct mandatory alcohol screening at all road side stops for the month of March as part of a new initiative to increase road safety.
“The federal law that gives police this right actually took effect in 2018, but many drivers our officers encounter aren't aware they are required to comply with a demand for the quick breath test, and they potentially face serious penalties for refusal,” said a Regina Police Service (RPS) news release.
Throughout March, officers will require drivers to take a roadside alcohol screening test when they are pulled over. Traffic stops could be made for a variety of reasons, the release noted, including a rolling stop, speeding or simply to ensure the driver has a licence.
“Drivers who are sober and pass the roadside test will be rewarded with a smile and a gift certificate for a coffee, on behalf of SGI and RPS,” the release said.
SGI emphasized the rights of police to demand a “quick roadside breath test” of any driver they legally stop and encouraged drivers to take the test, in a news release issued Friday. Reasonable suspicion is not needed for the test, the release noted.
Anyone who refuses to take the test can be charged under the Criminal Code for which penalties are the same or greater than impaired driving convictions. Those penalties include an immediate roadside licence suspension, immediate minimum 30-day vehicle impoundment, and, upon conviction, a minimum $2,000 fine, mandatory impaired driver education, a minimum $1,250 safe driver recognition penalty and a minimum one-year ignition interlock requirement.
“It is estimated that over 1,500 people are killed by impaired drivers in Canada each year,” Sgt. Shannon Gordon of the RPS traffic unit said in the release. “We would like to remind drivers that mandatory roadside alcohol screening is not targeted, but an effort to decrease these numbers and provide a safer driving experience for everyone on the road.”
The test only takes a few seconds, and if the driver does not exceed legal limits, they will be “quickly on their way,” said CEO of SGI'S Auto Fund JP Cullen in the release, which also notes impaired driving as the leading cause of fatal collisions in Saskatchewan.
The initiative started Friday and will run until the end of the month.