Drug-impaired driving is on the rise
Rates of driving while impaired with alcohol seem to be dropping
P.E.I. does have an impaired driving problem, but rates of drunk driving appear to be dropping.
In 2022, the most recent year in which statistics are available, P.E.I. was once again the province with the highest rate of impaired driving incidents in the country, according to Statistics Canada’s study of police-reported crime.
But despite increased efforts by law enforcement in the province, P.E.I. has seen a drop in impaired driving incidents involving alcohol between 2019 and 2022.
In 2019, the province had a rate of 524 police-reported incidents per 100,000 residents. By 2022, that had dropped down to 310.
Conversely, drug-related impaired driving, while still less frequent than drunk driving, is on the rise. In 2019, police reported 48 incidents of drug-related impaired driving per 100,000 residents. By 2022, this had grown to 79.
The pattern is also confirmed by charges laid by law enforcement. There were 236 charges related to drunk driving in 2022 – the lowest number since Statistics Canada began collecting data in 1998.
DRUG IMPAIRMENT
Meanwhile, there were 61 charges laid in 2022 for operation of a vehicle while impaired by drugs – nearly double the number in 2018 and the highest number of drug-impaired driving charges to date.
Provincewide data for 2023 has not been released by Statistics Canada. However, preliminary numbers of impaired driving incidents for 2023, provided to Saltwire by P.E.I. RCMP, show the trend is holding.
The same trend of shrinking rates of alcohol-impaired driving and rising drugimpaired driving incidents is playing out across Canada, according to a 2023 report by Public Safety Canada.
Eric Dumschat, legal director for Mothers Against Drunk Driving Canada (MADD), said he believes part of the explanation for increasing rates of drugimpaired driving in Canada stems from more access to roadside law-enforcement detection tools.
Prior to legalization of cannabis in 2018, the House of Commons passed Bill C-46, which amended the Criminal Code of Canada to allow law enforcement to use roadside oral fluid drug screening devices to test for cannabis and other substances from drivers.
The bill also allowed officers greater leeway to screen drivers with a breathalyzer during routine traffic stops, such as for speeding or a broken taillight.
“Generally speaking, alcohol was declining, drugs was increasing. How much of that is, again, detection? I couldn't tell you.” Dumschat said.
POLICE REPORTING
Dumschat cautioned that police-reported crime data only captures police interactions with impaired drivers. He said this may not be reflective of how much people are still driving impaired.
“In terms of overall incidents, it's more of, you know, a question mark,” Dumschat said.
Dumschat said Canada does not have up-to-date, comprehensive data on impaired driving.
Const. Jamie Parsons, a member of the RCMP’S provincial traffic unit, believes the number of impaired drivers caught by police represent a fraction of the real number of people who are driving impaired.
“When you talk about impaired driving, and how many of them, we’re probably just scratching the surface to tell you the truth,” Parsons told Saltwire in a phone interview.
Police data over the last decade shows a spike in impaired driving incidents across P.E.I. between 2017 and 2019 followed by a decline every year since then.
Since 2019, the number of overall impaired driving incidents reported by police has dropped 23 per cent. When looked at as a rate of impaired driving incidents per 100,000 residents, P.E.I.’S rate dropped by 29 per cent from 2019 to 2022.
The 2019 spike in impaired driving incidents reported by police can also be seen in national data. It coincides with the first year of legalized cannabis.
MORE RESOURCES
In 2018, law enforcement across Canada were given new powers by the federal government under the Criminal Code to charge drivers who were impaired by cannabis.
A total of $161 million over five years was also provided to law enforcement by the federal government, partly to increase training resources for drug detection equipment and training.
More than 50 police officers in P.E.I. received training in administering the standard field sobriety test, a behavioural and motor skill test for impairment, in 2018.
Soon after the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, partly in response to public concerns about an upsurge in speeding, the RCMP also reestablished a provincial traffic unit. That unit, which had been inactive for years, has also allowed more focus on impaired driving.
“When you have a dedicated officer, like in that provincial priority unit, they then are the experts at knowing the signs what to look for. And they have the time and the ability to go and achieve good things when it comes to stopping impaired driving,” said Gavin Moore, media relations officer with the P.E.I. RCMP, told Saltwire.
Since 2020, the number of officers assigned to the unit has doubled from two to four.
This year's P.E.I. operating budget, which is currently before the legislative assembly, includes a funding boost for the provincial priority unit. Finance department officials say this will allow RCMP to hire two additional officers.
Moore said these police resources dedicated to traffic enforcement have deterred impaired drivers. He also said ordinary citizens regularly report impaired drivers, which adds to efforts to deter this behaviour.
“I think what's really important is that Islanders know that they can call 911 at any time to report a potential impaired driver,” Moore said.
TESTING PROCESS
Moore said a rise in drugimpaired driving is evident and is being driven primarily by cannabis.
Cannabis slows driver reaction time, impairs concentration and affects motor skills.
Parsons said the acquisition of a handheld THC screening device, known as the Sotoxa mobile text system, has been a “game changer.” The devices are generally viewed as more accurate than the standardized field sobriety test.
Parsons says the usage of the Sotoxa device among officers of P.E.I. RCMP is “leading the country.”
“With this new device, now I have over 120 people arrested in two and a half years. And that's certainly blowing statistics off the charts,” Parsons said.
But the rise of drug-impaired driving has come with enforcement challenges.
Whereas breathalyzer screening for alcohol is admissible in court, testing for cannabis or other drugs often relies upon blood tests. And wait times for off-island lab results can often be between four and six months.
“It’s a little bit of a process. And the labs are very busy,” Parsons said.
“They do prioritize things that they do. I mean, if they got a murder scene that they need to process or sexual assaults, obviously there's going to be triaged and put in front of an impaired driving.”
MADD PRESCRIPTIONS
Dumschat said provinces like P.E.I. could make more widespread use of mandatory alcohol screening, ensuring that every officer – whether RCMP or municipal police forces – have the equipment and training to administer breathalyser tests during all traffic stops.
Dumschat said this would provide greater deterrence to impaired driving for people who may not exhibit signs of impairment.
“How many times are they able to drive before they're pulled over? How many times have been pulled over before that police officer forms a reasonable suspicion?” Dumschat said.
“And how many times does the police officer form a reasonable suspicion before this person is actually convicted and held accountable for their actions?”
Dumschat also believes first-time impaired drivers, whose impairment has not resulted in injuries or death, should be taken out of the court system. He believes an administrative penalty should be applied instead of a criminal charge, with a roadside seven-day licence suspension for individuals who blow over the legal limit, as well as the impoundment of their vehicle. Dumschat believes these administrative penalties, which have been put in place in Alberta, will take impaired driving charges outside of the backlogged court system.