DRIVING AND DRUGS A DEADLY COMBINATION

The Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse has released the preliminary
findings of its recent survey on drug and alcohol use among drivers.

The 2008 British Columbia Roadside Survey found that while fewer
people were driving after drinking, more drivers tested positive for
drugs: 10.4 per cent of nighttime drivers showed evidence of drug use,
while 8.1 per cent of drivers tested positive for alcohol and 16.9 per
cent tested positive for drugs, alcohol or both, according to a
release from the BCAA Traffic Safety Foundation.

"While alcohol impaired driving appears to be on the down curve at
this time of year, it is astounding that drug impaired driving seems
to be taking its place," said Allan Lamb, executive director of the
BCAA Traffic Safety Foundation. "There is a perception that drugs,
especially marijuana and prescription medications, have little or no
effect on driver performance. That is simply not true."

In 2005, 108 people were injured or killed in B.C. in collisions where
the driver's ability was impaired by a drug, according to police reports.

Marijuana affects a person's concentration, attention-span, alertness,
hand-eye coordination, time and distance perception, slows reaction
time and impacts a range of other driving related skills required to
respond to unexpected situations, according to the BCAA Traffic safety
Foundation.

On July 2, 2008, Bill C-2 was announced and empowers Canadian police
who suspect a driver of being impaired by any drug, illegal,
prescription or over-the-counter, to demand the driver submit to a
breathalyzer test, physical coordination tests and an assessment by a
Drug Recognition Expert using the Drug Evaluation and Classification
assessment along with a demand of bodily fluid samples (blood, saliva
or urine).

There are currently more than 1,100 officers in B.C. trained to
recognize drug impairment in drivers. Officers with drug recognition
training will now be present at road checks in communities around the
province.

The BCAA Traffic Safety Foundation is a non-profit registered charity
working with families, communities and business partners to reduce the
number and severity of traffic crashes and injuries in B.C. For more
information visit www.BCAATSF.ca or call 604-298-5107.