Ontario Drunk Driver Fatalities Decreased as Result of New Law Suspending
Their Licences for 90 Days
TORONTO, (ONTARIO) ø May 9, 2002 ø In the thirteen months
after it was introduced, OntarioÕs Administrative DriverÕs Licence Suspension
(ADLS) Law resulted in a 17% reduction in the proportion of fatally injured
drivers who have blood levels over the legal limit, according to a new
study by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) published in
the May/June issue of the Canadian Journal of Public Health. The law requires
that anyone charged with driving with a blood alcohol level over 80 mg%
or failing to provide a breath sample would have their license suspended
immediately for 90 days.
"This is good news for everyone working hard at
reducing driving deaths and injuries," said Dr. Robert Mann, Senior
Scientist at CAMH, who has been conducting research into drinking and
driving related injuries and deaths for the past 18 years. "Impaired
driving is the greatest single criminal cause of death and injury in
Canada. Our research findings indicate that this 90 day suspension is
an important part of a comprehensive effort aimed at reducing drinking
related driving deaths and injuries," Mann said.
The study was based on data obtained from the Traffic
Injury Research Foundation (TIRF) Fatality Database, considered to be
among the most complete for alcohol in the world. The researchers compared
the proportion of driver fatalities with a BAC over 80% mg after ADLS
was introduced to the proportion projected if no intervention would have
occurred. The overall reduction was 17%, with some variation from month
to month.
According to Transport Canada, approximately 1350 people
die in alcohol-related collisions in Canada every year. The ADLS law,
introduced by the government of Ontario, came into effect on November
29, 1996. Prior to the ADLS law, a driver in Ontario who was charged under
the Criminal Code of Canada for driving a motor vehicle while over the
legal blood alcohol limit could have his or her licence suspended for
12 hours at the time the charge was laid. Under the ADLS law, the Registrar
of Motor Vehicles now suspends the licences of these same individuals
for a period of 90 days.
According to Mann, licence suspensions have two important
deterrent effects. First, they reduce offendersÕ driving and collisions
during the period that they are applied. Second, when the public is made
aware of the new laws through adequate promotion, licence suspensions
may deter people who might otherwise drink and drive from doing so due
to their knowledge of the law.
In a previous study by Mann and his colleagues, published
in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, it was reported that with
the governmentÕs efforts to promote the new law through the media and
other means when it was introduced, there was a high awareness of the
law amongst the Ontario public. They found that the awareness of the new
law was associated with a 30% reduction in self-reported driving after
drinking. The data were obtained from the CAMH 1996 and 1997 Ontario Drug
Monitor surveys of Ontario adults produced by Dr. Ed Adlaf and associates.
These findings led the researchers to believe that the new law could be
successful in reducing impaired driving, predictions that are now supported
by this current research.
CAMH participates in other initiatives aimed at reducing
impaired driving including the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police
RIDE campaign. The Centre also manages Back on Track, OntarioÕs
Remedial Measures Program, on behalf of the Ministry of Health. Under
the Highway Traffic Act, all drivers convicted of impaired driving
for offences that occurred on or after September 30, 1998 must successfully
complete the Back on Track program before their suspended licence
can be reinstated. Based on an initial one-hour assessment, all participants
are assigned to either an education or a treatment program followed by
a six-month follow up interview. All three program components must be
completed before a driverÕs licence can be reinstated by the Ministry
of Transportation.
This research was supported by grants from AUTO21, a participating
member of the Networks of Centres of Excellence program funded by Industry
Canada, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, the Canadian
Institutes for Health Research,the Social Sciences and Humanities Research
Council and the Alcoholic Beverage Medical Research Foundation.
The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, a World Health
Organization Centre of Excellence
and a teaching hospital fully affiliated with the
University of Toronto, was established in 1998 through the merger of the
Addiction Research Foundation, the Clarke Institute of Psychiatry, the
Donwood Institute and the Queen Street Mental Health Centre.
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