Alcohol screenings to be performed at ‘every’ GTA traffic stop: OPP

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Provincial police are employing their “strongest measures” yet in their fight against impaired driving across the GTA.

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OPP warned drivers to “be prepared” for them to perform a mandatory alcohol screening at “every traffic stop” as impaired driving crashes and charges are up about 30% compared to the previous five-year average.

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Police also said the GTA saw the highest increase in impaired-related collisions among the regions the OPP patrols and they expect the trend to continue.

“As impaired driving occurrences continue to increase in Ontario Provincial Police jurisdictions, the OPP is taking its strongest measures yet to detect, investigate and remove impaired drivers from our roads,” a news release said.

Drivers must immediately comply with a demand for a breath sample, the OPP said, under Canada’s mandatory alcohol screening law, “even in the absence of any suspicion that they have consumed alcohol.

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“Drivers who do not comply with a breath demand could be charged for failure or refusal to comply under the Criminal Code,” the release said.

Mandatory alcohol screening was introduced in Canada in December 2018 and has been “implemented successfully in many other countries around the world,” according to the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction.

New Zealand, Australia and most European countries have adopted the measures, which have helped reduce overall road crashes and fatalities, MADD Canada said.

“This measure will save hundreds of lives and prevent thousands of injuries every year in Canada,” MADD said in a fact sheet about mandatory alcohol screenings on its website.

“MADD Canada has long called for the introduction of mandatory alcohol screening. It is the most consequential federal law aimed at preventing impaired driving in many, many years and we are very pleased to see this life-saving measure enacted.”

OPP also said if someone suspects that a driver is impaired, they should call 911 immediately.

“By doing so, you could be saving a life,” the release said.

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