Information relating to impaired driving.
This one is a bit different as the case law comes out of Ontario, although the same principles would apply equally well here in BC. Ricky Pizzacalla was riding a motorized bicycle while prohibited. He was charged criminally and convicted.
Driving while impaired by alcohol or other drugs continues to be a significant problem in British Columbia, our Immediate Roadside Prohibition (IRP) notwithstanding. While it has saved lives, we still have a long way to go. RoadSafetyBC (the new name of the Office of the Superintendent of Motor Vehicles) publishes data on the IRP program for the public's review.
Link:
The Honourable Mr. Justice Macaulay hears the constitutional argument against the current Immediate Roadside Prohibition laws in BC. He decides "... that the salutary effects of the IRP regime far outweigh the alleged deleterious effects. Any violation of s. 8 is, as a result, saved under s. 1.
Before the advent of the roadside screening device the use of mouthwash to hide the odour of liquor on a driver's breath was not unheard of. Today using a mouthwash containing alcohol as you approach a road check can be a very dangerous thing to do. The alcohol present in your mouth from the mouthwash could produce a warn or fail reading on the device when your true blood alcohol level is less.
Yesterday, over a 6 hr. span, my husband had consumed 4 cans of beer, and 2 5oz glasses of 11.5% white wine, with lots of ice. My husband is 165 lbs. He had an 8 hr. sleep. He woke up in the morning, did his usual coffee, shower, shave, etc. ( 1hr.
Spencer Basi was stopped while driving a motor vehicle under the influence of marihuana. A Standardized Field Sobriety Test was conducted after an initial questioning by the arresting officer. Mr. Basi showed symptoms consistent with marihuna impairment, was prohibited from driving for 24 hours and had his vehicle impounded for a similar time period.
A study by researchers at the University of Florida reports that you may have only had one glass of wine with dinner, but if you’re an older driver (aged 55+), that single serving may hit you hard enough to make you a dangerous driver.
Australia's Transport Accident Commission in Victoria state has published The Cell, an anti-drugged driving video that is part of a TV advertising campaign there. In their typically hard hitting style the video shows a young male driver taking drugs at a party and the consequences of that choice on the drive home afterward.
B.C.'s tough provincial laws to combat impaired driving have survived a challenge in the B.C. Court of Appeal. In summary, the judgment says:
Drivers who are part of B.C.'s Graduated Licencing Program (GLP) are limited to the number of passengers that they are allowed to carry by a restriction on their driver's licence. This restriction is designed to minimize the driver distraction that might be caused by a carload of rambunctious friends. The only exception to this restriction is when the passengers are family members.