OPP – “Many drivers are not doing their part to keep fellow road users safe

Part of our job at 705BLACKFLY.COM is to monitor news releases and social media feeds from the Ontario Provincial Police and other law enforcement agencies. We’ve noticed a very disturbing trend in recent months – an increase in impaired driving cases.

Here are just some of the incidents from the past week:

The Huntsville Detachment of the OPP arrested and charged a driver after a vehicle struck another vehicle at a Seatbelt Enforcement check on the Easter Long Weekend. As a result of the investigation, a 34-year-old man from Bracebridge was charged with Operation while impaired – BAC (80 plus), Drive vehicle with cannabis readily available, Drive vehicle with liquor readily available, Drive vehicle with open container of liquor

Also in Huntsville, on April 8th OPP arrested and charged a driver after a report of a vehicle in a ditch. The driver now faces charges of Operation while impaired – alcohol, Operation while impaired – BAC (80 plus)

In Orillia on April 4th, 2 impaired drivers were arrested and charged in just 4 hours. A man from Orillia was charged with Operation while impaired-blood alcohol concentration (80 plus). In the second case, a motorist refused to provide a breath sample at a RIDE stop. A 33-year-old woman from Orillia was charged with Failure or refusal to comply with demand.

On April 4^th, West Parry Sound OPP responded to a single motor vehicle collision on Long Lake Estates Rd in McDougall. Witnesses report the driver fleeing the scene of the collision prior to police arrival. Officers were able to locate and arrest the driver who is now charged with Operation while impaired – blood alcohol concentration (80 plus), Operation while impaired – alcohol and drugs, Fail to remain at the scene of a collision

On April 7^th, Rainy River District OPP located two impaired drivers within two minutes. Police determined both parties had been consuming alcoholic beverages at the same establishment.

We also recently published an article about a Kelsey’s Restaurant agreeing to a liquor license suspension after a customer left in a vehicle and was involved in a fatal single-vehicle crash within minutes.

https://705blackfly.com/huntsville-kelseys-liquor-licence-suspended-march-18th-after-fatal-crash/

It doesn’t stop with the OPP. We asked North Bay Police about their impaired driving data for 2023. They provided us with the follow statistics:

2023 – 62 alcohol related charges, approximately 21 drug related charges

So far in 2024 – 14 alcohol related charges, 11 drug related charges

There are many, many more incidents right across the 705 and beyond – some fatal. One advisory on the OPP News Release Portal for journalists caught our attention. It was released by Sgt. Kerry Schmidt of the Highway Safety Division.

Increases in impaired driving occurrences are prompting the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) to enhance its impaired driving enforcement efforts, with the aim of saving more lives on our roads.

Tragically, 385 people lost their lives in impaired driving-related collisions on OPP-patrolled roads between 2018 and the end of 2023. During the same period, impaired driving-related collisions have steadily climbed, with 2023 marking a 31 per cent increase when compared to the numbers during the previous five years. Impaired driving charges are also up 33 per cent over the same six-year period.

The increases are a clear sign that many drivers are not doing their part to keep fellow road users safe. Motorists are reminded to be prepared to provide a breath sample during a traffic stop. Under Canada’s Mandatory Alcohol Screening (MAS) law, drivers must comply with a police officer’s demand for a breath sample, even in the absence of any suspicion that they have consumed alcohol.

MAS remains an effective measure for enhancing the police’s ability to detect and investigate impaired drivers and remove them from our roads.

The OPP also reminds motorists that officers conduct RIDE (Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere) initiatives throughout the year. Drivers should also be prepared to provide a breath sample in these situations.

If you suspect that a driver is impaired, do not hesitate to call 9-1-1. By doing so, you could be saving a life.

Those are alarming numbers and the call to action is a strong one. We sent the OPP’s news release to MADD Canada and asked for their response. Eric Dumschat, Legal Director for MADD Canada replied with this detailed response about impaired driving across the country.

While progress has been made to reduce impaired driving, far too many people continue to make the selfish choice to drive after the consumption of alcohol, cannabis or other drugs. Impaired driving is completely preventable, and even one death or injury is entirely unconscionable. Ontario has some of North America’s safest roads, but more clearly needs to be done.

The OPP are entirely correct that mandatory alcohol screening (MAS) is “an effective measure for enhancing the police’s ability to detect and investigate impaired drivers and remove them from our roads.” It is, in fact, the best measure available. It is MADD Canada’s position that it should be used at every lawful traffic stop where the officer has an approved screening device on hand. Research shows that police, through no fault of their own, are unable to accurately detect the presence of alcohol in drivers with any great certainty. MAS removes any chance at an impaired driver escaping detection. It has been shown time and time again in jurisdiction after jurisdiction to reduce deaths and injuries and to deter drivers from driving under the influence of alcohol in the first place.

Deterring impaired driving does not stop simply at detection, but also at enforcement. MADD Canada believes that there is a better way to handle impaired drivers than what we are currently doing; one that will not burden the courts and will in fact save court resources, Crown time, etc. Ontario should implement an Immediate Roadside Prohibition (IRP) program similar to that which British Columbia pioneered. These programs process certain categories of impaired drivers through a purely administrative regime. Since it implemented its program, British Columbia saw a significant and sustained reduction in impairment-related crashes, deaths and injuries. Alberta and Manitoba have also implemented similar programs. An effective IRP program provides tremendous cost savings and a reduction in the amount of time police are tied up doing paperwork as opposed to being back on the street proactively enforcing road safety laws and responding to other calls.

Evidence shows that lives can be saved and people can be spared life changing injuries if an IRP program were implemented. Penalties are immediate, can be designed for Ontario in terms of when they are used and not used (i.e. when a child is in the car, high BAC, repeat offenders, etc.), and are often tougher than proceeding via the criminal system.

If Ontario were to implement a similar program, it would not only reduce court backlogs and provide savings in police and prosecution costs, but would also, and most importantly, reduce the number of impairment-related crash deaths and injuries. Further, an IRP would allow Ontario to customize the penalties of the program to target impaired driving behavior through sanctions such as license suspensions, vehicle impoundments, remedial programs and ignition interlocks.

On the drug side, according to the Office of the Chief Coroner, the percentage of drivers killed testing positive for cannabis has more than doubled between 2012 and 2020. MADD Canada believes police should have access to all the available tools to identify drug impaired drivers. But in Ontario, police are not currently able to use approved drug screening equipment (oral fluid devices) for the purposes of the Highway Traffic Act, unless the individual is a new, novice, or commercial driver or a driving instructor. Police can only use the oral fluid device in Ontario in relation to Criminal Code offences. Given this legislative barrier, Ontario police have not purchased these devices at the same rate as some other provinces or trained their officers to use them to the same extent. This has left Ontario police without a valuable tool in the fight against drug-impaired driving. We strongly encourage Ontario to amend its Highway Traffic Act to allow oral fluid devices to be used for all drivers.

According to a Statistics Canada report released December 22^nd, 2023, police forces across Canada reported 53,092 alcohol-related impaired driving incidents in 2022, up 1.4% from 2021 but 8.5% below 2020, during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over half of the incidents of impaired driving led to a charge, with 28,530 adults and 218 youth charged in 2022. There were 359 alcohol-related car accidents that resulted in bodily harm in 2022 and 53 caused death.

Alcohol-related deaths have risen by over one-fifth (+21.0%) since the beginning of the pandemic, with 3,875 deaths attributable to drinking alcohol in 2021. Approximately two-thirds (2,525) of alcohol-related deaths in 2021 occurred among Canadians aged 64 years and younger, while one-third (1,345) occurred among those aged 65 years and older.

From 2019 to 2021, the number of alcohol-related deaths among Canadians aged 64 years and younger (+27.0%) rose at more than three times the pace compared with those aged 65 years and older (+8.0%).

The OPP laid over 10,000 impaired driving charges in 2023. The above photo was taken outside the OPP Detachment in Burk’s Falls. It’s a reminder that everyone plays a role in getting impaired motorists off our roads. The message is well worth repeating – the best way to avoid impaired driving is to not take a chance. Plan another way home.

*** Editor Note

I’ve covered many, many impaired driving cases – including the horrific Neville-Lake case in 2015 in which three children and their grandfather were killed. The driver, Marco Muzzo, pleaded guilty to four counts of impaired driving causing death and two counts of impaired driving causing bodily harm.

The tragedy does not end there. The children’s father, Edward Lake, took his own life nearly seven years after the crash. I follow Jennifer Neville-Lake on X and she posts about her heartbreak every single day. She posted this statement and photo on April 9^th, 2024:

This was 10 yrs ago today. As a busy nanay (momma) of 3 with a wee little lady, an active toddler and a super helpful school-ager I was tired.

Now I am so tired in a very different way.

So very, very tired.

#MissThemSoMuch #MahalKitaAnaks