Throughout the month of March, everyone stopped by Regina City Police will have to submit to a breathalizer test or face steep fines.This month, the Regina Police Service (RPS) Traffic Safety Unit will conduct mandatory roadside alcohol screening on all drivers they stop. That includes drivers stopped for offences such as speeding, distracted driving or not wearing a seatbelt.According to a joint press release by RPS and Saskatchewan Government Insurance,(SGI) a Crown corporation with a monopoly on vehicle insurance, drivers living elsewhere in the province may or may not be asked to take one of these tests at any given time."Here’s some advice from a friend who doesn’t want to see you get in trouble: If a police officer stops your vehicle and demands a breath sample to determine whether you have consumed alcohol before driving, take the test. Yes, under federal legislation, police DO have the right to demand a quick roadside breath test," the press release explains.Under federal legislation, police can demand a quick roadside breath test of any driver they legally stop, using an approved screening device. Reasonable suspicion is not required for the roadside test.The relevant federal law, Criminal Code Section 320.27(2), took effect in 2018, but police say many drivers they encounter still aren’t aware they’re required to comply with a demand for the breath test.A driver who refuses to take the test can be charged with a Criminal Code offence, which carries penalties that are the same or greater than those for impaired driving convictions:Immediate roadside licence suspensionImmediate minimum 30-day vehicle impoundment(Upon conviction)$2,000 fine (minimum)Mandatory impaired driver education$1,250 Safe Driver Recognition penalty (minimum)One-year ignition interlock requirement (minimum)“Our best advice? Take the test,” Regina City Police said in a press release.Impaired driving remains the leading cause of fatal collisions on Saskatchewan roads.“It is estimated that over 1,500 people are killed by impaired drivers in Canada each year,” said Sgt. Shannon Gordon of the Regina Police Service’s Traffic Unit. “We would like to remind drivers that mandatory roadside alcohol screening is not targetted, but an effort to decrease these numbers and provide a safer driving experience for everyone on the road.”JP Cullen, chief operating officer of the Auto Fund for SGI, said it was important to give drivers a heads up.“SGI wants to help drivers make good, informed choices that will keep all road users safe and keep them out of trouble,” said Cullen.“We want to help make sure people are aware of the federal legislation that gives police the right to administer this test. The test itself only takes a few seconds and if the driver doesn’t exceed the legal limits for alcohol, they will be quickly on their way.”Drivers who pass the sobriety test will get a gift card for a coffee on behalf of SGI and the police.Saskatoon-based defence lawyer Ron Piché told CBC the Regina blitz highlights the "slow but steady erosion of any rights of motorists.”He said he had already seen examples where people are asked for a breathalyzer test when they’re no longer in the vehicle."And a lot of these people have been watching TV and they're quite alarmed that for no reason whatsoever — i.e. they haven't had a drink, they've been driving properly — that the police are making a demand and they think it's within their rights to speak to a lawyer at that point," he said."The case law's quite clear. It is not a right they have at that point and that might result in a charge of refusal, which is a Criminal Code conviction."Piché said he expects the issue will eventually be heard by the Supreme Court of Canada.
Throughout the month of March, everyone stopped by Regina City Police will have to submit to a breathalizer test or face steep fines.This month, the Regina Police Service (RPS) Traffic Safety Unit will conduct mandatory roadside alcohol screening on all drivers they stop. That includes drivers stopped for offences such as speeding, distracted driving or not wearing a seatbelt.According to a joint press release by RPS and Saskatchewan Government Insurance,(SGI) a Crown corporation with a monopoly on vehicle insurance, drivers living elsewhere in the province may or may not be asked to take one of these tests at any given time."Here’s some advice from a friend who doesn’t want to see you get in trouble: If a police officer stops your vehicle and demands a breath sample to determine whether you have consumed alcohol before driving, take the test. Yes, under federal legislation, police DO have the right to demand a quick roadside breath test," the press release explains.Under federal legislation, police can demand a quick roadside breath test of any driver they legally stop, using an approved screening device. Reasonable suspicion is not required for the roadside test.The relevant federal law, Criminal Code Section 320.27(2), took effect in 2018, but police say many drivers they encounter still aren’t aware they’re required to comply with a demand for the breath test.A driver who refuses to take the test can be charged with a Criminal Code offence, which carries penalties that are the same or greater than those for impaired driving convictions:Immediate roadside licence suspensionImmediate minimum 30-day vehicle impoundment(Upon conviction)$2,000 fine (minimum)Mandatory impaired driver education$1,250 Safe Driver Recognition penalty (minimum)One-year ignition interlock requirement (minimum)“Our best advice? Take the test,” Regina City Police said in a press release.Impaired driving remains the leading cause of fatal collisions on Saskatchewan roads.“It is estimated that over 1,500 people are killed by impaired drivers in Canada each year,” said Sgt. Shannon Gordon of the Regina Police Service’s Traffic Unit. “We would like to remind drivers that mandatory roadside alcohol screening is not targetted, but an effort to decrease these numbers and provide a safer driving experience for everyone on the road.”JP Cullen, chief operating officer of the Auto Fund for SGI, said it was important to give drivers a heads up.“SGI wants to help drivers make good, informed choices that will keep all road users safe and keep them out of trouble,” said Cullen.“We want to help make sure people are aware of the federal legislation that gives police the right to administer this test. The test itself only takes a few seconds and if the driver doesn’t exceed the legal limits for alcohol, they will be quickly on their way.”Drivers who pass the sobriety test will get a gift card for a coffee on behalf of SGI and the police.Saskatoon-based defence lawyer Ron Piché told CBC the Regina blitz highlights the "slow but steady erosion of any rights of motorists.”He said he had already seen examples where people are asked for a breathalyzer test when they’re no longer in the vehicle."And a lot of these people have been watching TV and they're quite alarmed that for no reason whatsoever — i.e. they haven't had a drink, they've been driving properly — that the police are making a demand and they think it's within their rights to speak to a lawyer at that point," he said."The case law's quite clear. It is not a right they have at that point and that might result in a charge of refusal, which is a Criminal Code conviction."Piché said he expects the issue will eventually be heard by the Supreme Court of Canada.
