TESTING FOR DOPED-UP DRIVERS

Impaired driving is never limited to those who drink alcohol before
getting behind the wheel. Now, after changes to provincial
legislation, officers are trained as experts in testing differences
between the effects of various substances.

"We're talking about prescription drugs, too," noted Olaf Heinzel,
public affairs co-ordinator with Waterloo Regional Police. "Our drug
recognition experts have to have training in a variety of other
substances than alcohol."

All officers are trained to recognize signs of impairment - based on
many categories of drugs - but only a handful of regional police
officers are trained as experts in testing, noted Heinzel.

"We now have more tools available than we did in the past to check for
impairment," he said.

Three drug recognition expert tests, say police, were conducted during
weeklong Oktoberfest celebrations in Waterloo Region, which ended on
Sunday. Before changes to provincial legislation a driver suspected of
being impaired due to a drug had to agree to a test before one could
be conducted.

This year's Oktoberfest marked the first time those tests were
included in statistical data released after Oktoberfest by the
regional police service.

"It is a relatively new area for Ontario," Heinzel said of the
legislation that now requires a number of officers across the province
to be trained in the drug recognition testing. "We're still learning
as we go. It's still evolving."

About 20 per cent of high school-aged drivers in the province reported
that they drove within one hour of using marijuana at least once in
the year before the Ontario Drug Use Survey, conducted in 2003,
according to online information from Canada's Department of Justice.

Data related to the drug recognition tests, noted Heinzel, will now be
collected and tracked, just like they do with breathalyzer tests.

During Oktoberfest this year, 100 roadside breathalyzer tests for
alcohol were conducted; there was one impaired driving charge and four
charges against people with an alleged illegal amount of alcohol in
their bloodstream. During Oktoberfest 2007, 104 breathalyzer tests
were conducted; there were three impaired driving charges laid, and
six charges against people suspected to have more alcohol in their
blood than legally allowed, according to regional police.

"By having numbers to work with at least we'll have some sort of
tool...that can direct our awareness programs," Heinzel said of the
drug tests.

He did remind that Oktoberfest was "one week out of 52", and that the
drug recognition tests are now conducted at all RIDE programs or
traffic stops.