GET DRUNKS OFF ROAD, GROUP URGES

Repeat Offenders Common: Poll

A poll conducted by the Traffic Injury Research Foundation has
reached an alarming conclusion.

"Canada has a drinking and driving problem," says Ward Vanlaar of TIRF.

The poll found that Canadians made 10.2 million drunk driving trips
in the past year -- the vast majority by only 4.4% of drivers.

"With such a large number of drinking and driving trips being made by
repeat offenders, the more of them we get off the road, the better,"
Vanlaar says.

TIRF says the public is "extremely concerned" about drinking and
driving, listing it as their top road safety issue.

Recent legislation tabled by the Tory government seeks to increase
penalties for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

With suspected drug use, however, enforcement of the law is
problematic. The proposed changes aim to provide tools to police to
make it easier to identify the signs of drug use.

Under current law, providing urine or blood samples is voluntary. If
the legislation is passed, Justice Minister Vic Toews will change that.

"We are ensuring that drug-impaired drivers face similar testing to
that which drunk drivers now face," Toews said in a statement. "We
are strengthening legislation to make it easier to arrest and get
convictions for clear cases of drug and alcohol impairment."

First, a standardized sobriety test -- the same one police currently
use for alcohol -- would be administered at the scene. If there is
reasonable suspicion of impairment, the driver would be escorted to
the police station for evaluation by a drug recognition expert.

Only after failing these two tests a driver would be subject to
submitting a sample.

"It's carefully crafted so that if a person actually reaches the
third step, it's very, very probable the person is under the
influence," said a spokesperson in Toews' office.

Sgt. Pat Frost of the Ottawa Police is skeptical that the law will be
passed without altering the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

'HARD ENOUGH TIME'

"We have a hard enough time getting breathalyzers," says Frost, who
is in charge of Ottawa's RIDE program.

"For urine samples, I have to stand beside you to make sure it's your
urine. You think that's going to go over?"

With alcohol, the evidence is much more credible, Frost said.

Without providing voluntary fluid samples, a conviction for drug
impairment is "based solely on observation."

Recent studies have shown marijuana use among drivers has increased
drastically since 1989, especially among youth. Other studies have
indicated that young people feel safer getting behind the wheel after
smoking pot than they would after drinking, both in terms of the
likelihood of having a crash or getting arrested.

Frost said police badly need new legislation to make roads safer.

"The last thing you want is a generation of kids growing up thinking
they can circumvent the law."