'Immediately': OPP says mandatory alcohol testing will now come with every traffic stop on GTA highways
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Sign in HaltonBy Metroland file photo
The OPP says every traffic stop made on GTA highways will now include mandatory alcohol screening.
The force said OPP officers in Highway Safety Division Detachments throughout the GTA are now conducting Mandatory Alcohol Screening (MAS) as part of every traffic stop.
Under Canada's Mandatory Alcohol Screening (MAS) law, drivers must "immediately" comply with a police officer's demand for a breath sample, even in the absence of any suspicion that they have consumed alcohol, OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt said. Drivers who do not comply with a "breath demand" could be charged for failure or refusal to comply under the Criminal Code, the OPP said in a release.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) lauded the police's ability to conduct mandatory alcohol tests.
"Mandatory alcohol screening authorizes police to demand a breath sample from any driver lawfully pulled over. It greatly increases the number of drivers screened for impairment, resulting in more impaired drivers being detected," MADD said. "Equally important, it greatly increases the perception that if you drive impaired, the chance of getting caught is high."
Police said 385 people died in impaired driving-related collisions on OPP-patrolled roads between 2018 and the end of 2023.
The OPP reports 2023 saw a 31-per-cent increase in collisions connected to impaired driving compared to numbers from the previous five years, with impaired driving charges going up 33 per cent.
- with files from Metroland Staff
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