Canadian police are cracking down on impaired driving by requiring drivers to submit to a breathalyzer test during every traffic stop in the Greater Toronto Area
Following an uptick in impaired driving, Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) will now require breath testing during every traffic stop in the GTA, no matter the reason that the driver was pulled over, authorities announced on Wednesday.
According to OPP, drivers who fail to provide a breath sample face an automatic 90 day license suspension, a 7 day vehicle impound, and a criminal charge.
“Under Canada’s Mandatory Alcohol Screening 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 said.
The Mandatory Alcohol Screening law went into effect in 2018.
OPP reports seeing a 30% increase in both impaired driving crashes and charges this year over the previous five year average across the province. In the GTA, police say they’ve seen a 50% increase in impaired driving crashes this year over the previous five year average.