DRUG-IMPAIRED DRIVERS RISK LOSING LICENCE

Drivers who choose to get high and then get behind the wheel may want
to think twice thanks to new provincial legislation.

Since Oct. 15, anyone suspected of drug-impaired driving could be
without a set of wheels, as law enforcement members now have the
power to suspend a person's driver's licence if police suspect the
driver is under the influence of drugs.

The expansion to the Alberta Administrative Licence Suspension
program to include drug-impaired drivers stems from an amendment made
on July 2, 2008, to allow the law to be applied equally to drivers
charged with alcohol and drug-driving offences. Prior to this change,
drivers suspected of drug-impaired driving were not required to
undergo testing.

Didsbury RCMP Sgt. Jeff Jacobson says that any amendment that makes
it easier for police to get dangerous drivers off the road is always
a good thing.

"It certainly enhances our ability to remove people who are a danger
to the public on the roadway," says Jacobson. "Any increase in powers
that we get that improves road safety is definitely a benefit to us."

Under the new legislation, drug-impaired drivers could face the same
immediate licence suspension penalties as alcohol-impaired drivers,
ranging from a three-month to six-month suspension.

In order to determine if drivers are drug impaired, each police
detachment will have drug recognition experts who can be called out
to administer an exam on scene.

"Ultimately the members that are trained as experts are the ones who
will quite often make the determination that this person is impaired
by a drug, which provides the evidence to support the charge," says Jacobson.

If a driver is suspected of being drug impaired, they will be taken
to a nearby hospital to undergo a blood test. Should the suspect
refuse a sample, they will be charged with refusal to provide a
sample. All suspects are given the opportunity to contact council
before being asked to provide a sample.

Jacobson says that it's not often that officers come across drivers
who are only drug-impaired, noting that more often drivers are found
to be drug- and alcohol-impaired