Federal Impaired Driving Policy: Moving Beyond Half Measures

Abstract

Millions of Canadians continue to drive after drinking, in part because they can do so with little fear of being apprehended, charged, and convicted. The federal amendments to impaired driving law of the past 15 years have focused on penalties, narrow prosecutorial issues, and long-standing loopholes. However, significant progress requires a shift from these so-called “tough” laws to effective laws (i.e., those that will sharply reduce impaired driving). In response to similar problems with the persistence of impaired driving, many developed countries have enacted both a criminal .05 percent blood-alcohol concentration limit for driving and random breath testing, thereby achieving dramatic reductions in related crash deaths. This paper examines these two measures in the context of Canada's impaired driving record and the current federal law.