DRUG-IMPAIRED DRIVERS FACING MANDATORY SOBRIETY TESTS

TORONTO - Drivers who are suspected of getting behind the wheel while
high on drugs will soon be forced to undergo a mandatory roadside
sobriety tests when new rules kick in next week, Justice Minister Rob
Nicholson said Friday.

Starting Wednesday, police will also have the power to take suspected
drug-impaired drivers to the police station for a more intensive test
or to give a blood, urine or saliva sample, Nicholson said.

"We're zeroing in on in those individuals who take drugs and who are
impaired while they're driving," he said at an announcement on
Toronto's waterfront.

"It's a big step forward. It's something that Mothers Against Drunk
Driving, law enforcement agencies, and people who have been victims
of impaired driving have been calling for quite some time."

Currently, drivers suspected of being high can decline a sobriety test.

Police are also obligated to tell offenders that the tests aren't
mandatory and the results could be used against them in court.

But as of July 2, refusing the roadside test will be considered a
criminal offence.

Although some might argue that the new law is too invasive, Nicholson
said he believes it will withstand a challenge in the courts.

"I think most of the people in this country would agree with me that
the consequences of driving while impaired with drugs are so great,
so stark and so open to tragedy," he said. "I think this is a
reasonable response."

The new law also imposes tougher penalties for all impaired drivers.
Those caught driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol will now
face at least a $1,000 fine for a first offence, a minimum of 30 days
in jail for a second offence and 120 days in jail if they are caught
a third time.

The new law, part of the Conservatives' omnibus crime bill, also
closes "one of the great loopholes" by making it harder for drivers
to challenge breathalyzer tests in court, Nicholson said.

Sgt. Robert Martin, with York Regional Police, said officers won't be
using the new law to unnecessarily penalize drivers if they have
traces of drugs in their system. Certain narcotics, such as
marijuana, will show up in blood tests long after the high wears off.

Unless a person appears to be impaired, they won't be pulled over, Martin said.

"We're not stopping people randomly at the side of the road," Martin
said. "These people have come to the attention of a police officer or
a citizen who's called 911 for a reason."

Police will be performing three different exercises to gauge a
driver's sobriety - a check of the person's eyes, a "walk and turn"
test, and a one-leg stand test, Martin said. Officers can also take
the driver's pulse, temperature, and blood pressure.

Margaret Miller, national president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving,
said MADD has been fighting for tougher drug-impaired legislation for
more than seven years. Allowing high motorists to get away was "a
slap in the face" for the families of impaired driving victims, she said.

This new law will help save lives, Miller added.

"For this to be happening today - it's amazing," she said, noting
summer is the most dangerous time of year for impaired driving. "I
think it's going to give MADD members and (the) victims' families a
sigh of relief."