Police Get More Power To Stop Stoned Drivers

Just in time for the holiday weekend, federal Justice Minister Rob Nicholson praises new legistlation allowing police forces across the country to compel drivers to take roadside tests for drugs. While it has always been an offense to operate a motor vehicle under the influence of drugs, police had no power to make a driver submit a blood, urine or saliva sample.

“We’re zeroing in on in those individuals who take drugs and who are impaired while they’re driving,” he said at an announcement on Toronto’s waterfront.

“It’s a big step forward. It’s something that Mothers Against Drunk Driving, law enforcement agencies, and people who have been victims of impaired driving have been calling for quite some time.”

Prior to the new legistlation, police were obligated to tell drivers that the road side tests were not mandatory and that the test results could be used against them in court. As a result, many drivers would refuse the tests. Starting July 2nd, 2008 refusing to take such a road side test would be a criminal offense much like how refusing to take a breathalyzer is a criminal offense.

While police do say that the new powers would not be used to charge drivers with trace levels of drugs in their system, time will tell to see how everything pans out.

Sgt. Robert Martin, with York Regional Police, said officers won’t be using the new law to unnecessarily penalize drivers if they have traces of drugs in their system. Certain narcotics, such as marijuana, will show up in blood tests long after the high wears off.

Unless a person appears to be impaired, they won’t be pulled over, Martin said.

Have a safe holiday weekend, and if you’re partaking in any extra-curricular activities remember to arrange for a designated driver unless you want to provide a fluid sample at the next check stop or road block you drive through.

Drunk Driving in GTA4 Nothing To Get MADD About

Grand Theft Auto IV was just released on the Sony Playstation 3 as well as Microsoft’s XBOX 360 gaming systems. With every release of the Grand Theft Auto franchise, politicians, lobby groups, and various other groups begin issuing their opinions on the game. Do they not realize they are just giving the game even more free promotional time?

Mothers Against Drunk Driving is disappointed that Rockstar added the drunk driving element into the game as they feel it encourages people to drive after drinking:

Each year nearly 13,500 people die in drunk driving crashes and another half a million are injured in alcohol-related traffic crashes. This is why MADD is extremely disappointed by the decision of the manufacturers of the game Grand Theft Auto IV to include a game module where players have to drive drunk. Drunk driving is not a game and it is not a joke. Drunk driving is a choice, a violent crime and it is also 100 percent preventable. MADD is calling on the Entertainment Software Ratings Board to reclassify Grand Theft Auto IV as an Adults Only game, a step up from the current rating of Mature and for the manufacturer to consider a stop in distribution - if not out of responsibility to society then out of respect for the millions of victims/survivors of drunk driving.

First off, the statement is misleading. Players do not “have to drive drunk” in the game, in fact the first time the character Niko stumbles out of the bar with his girlfriend the game actually pops up a message that encourages you to take a cab instead of driving. By including this element into the game, youths can see firsthand just what it is like to drive drunk. The game does not require you to drive drunk in order to complete it. Obviously, nobody at MADD actually picked up a copy of the game to try before they complained about it because that would just be too easy.

If you want to see what is causing MADD to get all upset, watch the videos here.