Background Information

A recent report, Rating the Provinces and Territories: The 2006 Report Card [PDF], commissioned by MADD Canada reports that they are generally pleased with the progress made since the 2003 Report Card, and the majority of jurisdictions were awarded higher grades in 2006 than the they were awarded in 2003. MADD Canada states "Almost all of the provinces and territories have introduced some measures to strengthen their impaired driving legislation since The 2003 Report Card."

However, while some jurisdictions have made major strides, others have done relatively little. Some of the legislative changes suggested by MADD Canada in 2003 to combat impaired driving included:
  • more comprehensive and rigorous license suspension provisions;
  • the introduction of alcohol interlocks and vehicle impoundment programs;
  • the development of comprehensive remedial programs for offenders; and
  • providing police with the authority to stop vehicles at random, using passive alcohol sensors and demanding breath samples from drivers in crashes involving fatalities and injuries.
While considerable improvements have been made to nearly all these initiatives, in some jurisdictions, there are still enforcement improvements to be made on the issues addressed in the 2003 report.

Canada


The Road Safety Monitor 2005: Drinking and Driving [PDF], Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF), December 2005


Crime and Punishment, Canada Safety Council, September 2000.

Impaired Driving, Ministry of Transportation website

Impaired Driving Programs and Campaigns, Ministry of Transportation website

Ignition Interlock, Ministry of Transportation website

Break the Law Pay the Price, Ministry of Transportation website

Driver Safety: Impaired Driving, Alberta Office of Traffic Safety, Alberta Transportation, Traffic Safety In Alberta website

U.S.A.

Impaired Driving Guidebook: Three Keys to Renewed Focus and Success [PDF], International Association of Chiefs of Police, Impaired Driving Subcommittee, 2006.

Impaired Driving Fact Sheet, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, October 9, 1999.

Impaired Driving in the United States [PDF], National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Impaired Driving (Drugs & Alcohol Safety Programs, Nation Highway Traffic Safety Administration website

International

Driving While Intoxicated, A Multi-national Perspective, The International Transport Safety Association website