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Friday, March 29, 2024

Canada To Allow Police To Gather Breath Samples

 Canada’s new impaired driving laws kicked in Dec 18th, giving law enforcement new powers when it comes to interacting with drivers.

Alcohol-related impaired driving laws are updated in the Criminal Code of Canada as of Dec. 18, in order to become comparable with drug-impaired driving laws that were reformed earlier this year.

Changes to both drug and alcohol impaired driving come as part of the former Bill C-46, which aims to make Canada’s laws “amongst the strongest in the world.”

The new laws will give police officers the authority to demand breathalyzer tests from any driver they pull over. Previously, officers could only test drivers if they had a reasonable suspicion the person was impaired. Any driver who refuses to take the test can be charged.

These stronger laws are similar to ones in several other countries around the world, such as Australia, Denmark, France and Germany. In Ireland, mandatory screening reduced the number of road deaths by about 40 per cent in the first four years it was enforced.

Before Dec. 18, drivers could use the “bolus drinking defence,” arguing that they consumed alcohol just before driving and it was not absorbed yet.

The new law eliminates this defence, by making it illegal to be at or over the alcohol limit within two hours of being behind the wheel.

The new law also bumps up the maximum penalties for many alcohol-impaired driving offences.

Formerly, the mandatory minimum fines were: $1,000 for first offence, 30 days imprisonment for second offence, and 120 days in jail for a third offence.

These are the penalties now:

  • First offence, with blood alcohol content of 80-119 mg: mandatory minimum $1,000 fine
  • First offence, with blood alcohol content of 120-159 mg: mandatory minimum $1,500 fine
  • First offence, with blood alcohol content of 160 mg or more: mandatory minimum $2,500 fine
  • First offence, but refuse to be tested: mandatory minimum $2,000 fine
  • Second offence: mandatory minimum 30 days imprisonment
  • Third or more offence: mandatory minimum 120 days imprisonment
  • Maximum penalties for impaired driving causing no bodily harm or death: summary conviction carries two years less a day imprisonment, indictment carries 10 years imprisonment
  • Maximum penalties for impaired driving causing bodily harm: Summary conviction for less severe injuries carries two years less a day imprisonment, indictment carries 14 years imprisonment
  • Maximum penalty impaired driving causing death: life imprisonment.