1. Impaired Driving in Canada Motor Vehicle Safety, Transport Canada
Paul Boase
Motor Vehicle Safety, Transport Canada
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2. Agenda Legislative Changes Cannabis Road Side Surveys
Fatality Database
Other Research
Conclusions
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3. Legislation Bill C-45 The Cannabis Act Bill C-46 Impaired Driving
Addresses distribution, sale and regulations for use
Came into force October 17, 2018
Edibles coming into force October 2019
Bill C-46 Impaired Driving
Reflecting the commitment to address impaired driving by alcohol and drugs
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4. C-46 Purpose and Objectives
The Bill has two main parts:
Part 1 amended the Criminal Code to create new offences and authorize police to use new investigative tools in order to better detect drivers who operate motor vehicle while impaired by cannabis and other drugs.
Part 2 repealed the entire transportation regime and replaced it with new section of Criminal Code to modernize, simplify, and strengthen its approach to impaired driving and other transportation offences.
The idea is that Part 1 would come into effect on Royal Assent so we can begin to benefit from its provisions.
Part 2 requires more time for everybody to get ready – new numbers for offences and prohibitions require adjustments/amendments to provincial systems. Would come into force 180 days after Royal Assent.
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5. New offences Applies to other impairing drugs;
Three new offences of having a prohibited blood drug concentration (BDC) within two hours of driving:
A straight summary conviction offence for drivers with low BDC. Summary conviction: 2 ng but less than 5 ng THC/mL of blood, no repeating;
A hybrid offence for drivers with impairing BDC, drug alone: 5 ng or more THC/mL of blood;
A hybrid offence for drivers with low BDC in combination with a low blood alcohol concentration (BAC). drug and alcohol: 2.5 ng or more THC/mL of blood combined with a BAC of 50 or more.
Applies to other impairing drugs;
Concentrations are not contained in the Bill, but are set by regulation.
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6. Other Changes Includes a preamble outlining the purpose
Introduces Mandatory Breath Tests
Reduces the number of available charges
Changes to penalties
Reduction in Hard Suspension
Authorizes Road Side Drug Screening
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7. Effects of Cannabis Physical Driving Euphoria and relaxation,
Perceptual changes and distortion of the passage of time
Poor ability to divide attention, memory deficits
Impaired motor functioning, including loss of coordination and balance
Loss of inhibitions
Physical changes such as increased heart rate, dilated pupils, and red eyes
Poorer lane tracking
Greater variability in steering wheel adjustments
Slower reaction times
Impairs divided attention and decision making ability
Impairs perception of danger and response to it
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8. Factors In Cannabis Impaired Driving?
Effects of cannabis on driving depend on:
how much is consumed
its potency (i.e., how much THC is in cannabis);
how it was consumed (ingested vs inhaled); and
person’s experience using cannabis (i.e., high drug tolerance among chronic users)
Cannabis effects have been shown to vary from one person to another and from one dose to another for the same individual
As a result, cannabis may be more difficult challenge to prosecute than alcohol.
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9. Fatality Database
Managed by the Traffic Injury Research Foundation since late 70s
Drugs were officially added in 2000
Only includes pedestrians and drivers who were fatally injured
Timeliness of the data remains an issue.
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10. Fatal Injured Drivers by Age - 2015
TIRF Fatality Database
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11. Alcohol Prevalence Alcohol in Fatally injured drivers
Alcohol in SI injured drivers
TIRF Fatality Database
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12. Drugs in Fatally Injured Drivers
All psychotropic drugs
Cannabis
TIRF Fatality Database
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13. Polysubstance Use 2015
TIRF Fatality Database
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14. Crash Risk Asbridge (2012) conducted
meta-analysis of 9 studies and reported
1.92 pooled relative risk ratio (RRR)
Other reviews found pooled RRRs of:
2.7 (Li, et al., 2012)
1.3 for fatal collisions (Elvik, 2012)
1.2 to 9.5 (Wolf, 2013)
Asbridge (2014) controlled for frequency of cannabis use and found that use of cannabis alone (based on blood test or self-reports) increased
RRR of injury collision over 4 times higher
if other drugs such as alcohol were involved, risk was more than 6 times greater
These studies vary in methodology but risk is likely about twice as high with cannabis present and even higher when combined with alcohol
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15. Roadside Surveys Standard protocol Wed – Sat nights, 9PM – 3 AM
4 locations per night (90 min each)
4-5 interviewers
Police assist with traffic
Provides information about
alcohol and drug use in random sample of nighttime drivers
Beirness and Associates
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16. Sample vs Population
Beirness and Associates
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17. Prevalence % Drivers using Drugs % Drugs was Cannabis
% Drivers using Drugs
% Drugs was Cannabis
% Drivers using Alcohol
2010, BC
9.1
63.8
10.7
2012, BC 7 66 8
2014, Ontario 10 4
2016, Manitoba 53 1
2017, Ontario
10.3
82.5
4.4
2018, BC
8.5
62.3
4.9
2918, Yukon
17.8 87
5.1
2018, NWT
13.3
64.7
6.3
Note: all surveys pre legalization
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18. Alcohol and Drug Positive Drivers According to Age (ON 2017)
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19. Drinking Drivers in Vancouver & Saanich Roadside Surveys
Beirness and Associates
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20. BAC Distribution ON (2017 & 1986)
Beirness and Associates
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21. Pre-legalization Changes in Drug Use by Drivers
Beirness and Associates
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22. Drug Use by Drivers 8 – 10% positive for drugs
Higher in communities outside of major metropolitan areas
74% Cannabis
Temporal pattern for drugs is different than that for alcohol
Young drivers
Older drivers
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23. Non Fatally Injured Drivers
Began in Vancouver
Dr. Jeff Brubacher team
Utilize clinical samples from injured drivers
Project has expanded to now include other hospitals and other provinces
Jeff Brubacher et al
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24. Jeff Brubacher et al
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25. Interpretation
Many injured drivers had used marijuana, alcohol, other drugs or sedating medications.
Younger drivers and male drivers were more likely to test positive for THC, other drugs or alcohol.
Females and older drivers were more likely to have used sedating medications.
All substances were more common in single vehicle crashes or in drivers with severe injuries.
Alcohol is still our biggest problem.
Jeff Brubacher et al
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26. In Conclusion
Alcohol impaired driving is decreasing but remains a dominant issue
Drug Impaired Driving is increasing in prevalence
Long term safety outcomes are less clear
Alcohol and Drug use are different and need to be addressed differently
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27. Thank you for your attention Paul.Boase@tc.gc.a
Questions?
Thank you for your attention
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