Pubdate: Tue, 26 Jun 2012
Source: Victoria Times-Colonist (CN BC)
Copyright: 2012 Times Colonist
Contact: http://www2.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/letters.html
Website: http://www.timescolonist.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/481
Author: Sandra McCulloch

SURVEY A SPITTING IMAGE OF DRUG AND ALCOHOL USE BEHIND THE WHEEL

Almost 500 motorists passing through Saanich in the last few weeks 
have been asked to provide breath and saliva samples to test for drug 
and alcohol levels.

Doug Beirness, who is not a police officer, has been asking motorists 
to voluntarily provide the samples for a survey commissioned by the 
B.C. Superintendent of Motor Vehicles.

If they refuse, they're free to go. But 85 per cent agreed to 
participate, a response Beirness calls amazing.

"If we find someone who's had too much to drink, we put them in a cab 
and send them home," Beirness said.

"Most people are pretty happy to accept that offer," he said. "You're 
not going to get that kind of opportunity with a police officer, 
especially these days."

The testing wound up in Saanich on Saturday. Beirness had conducted 
similar surveys in Vancouver, Abbotsford, Prince George and Kelowna. 
The results of the survey are confidential.

Few people get the chance to test their blood-alcohol level and many 
are curious to know what it is, he said.

"We often get a driver who's willing to participate - they haven't 
been drinking at all - but they've got three or four passengers in 
the vehicle who have been drinking," Beirness said.

"The passengers don't have any idea what their alcohol level is, so 
we'll often go around and test them as well, just for informational, 
educational purposes."

Beirness conducted similar surveys in 2010 and 2008 and found eight 
to nine per cent of drivers had a detectable level of alcohol in their systems.

Eight per cent had a measurable amount of other substances.

Beirness doesn't post roadside signs telling motorists what he's 
doing for fear that intoxicated drivers would avoid the testing site. 
Police at the testing sites flag down motorists and direct them 
toward Beirness so he can safely ask for volunteers. Alcohol is the 
main intoxicant found in drivers, but marijuana and cocaine are 
increasing problems, he said.

"We're looking for amounts the lab can detect - and that's not a 
trivial amount," Beirness said.

While research shows drivers are legally impaired at a blood alcohol 
level of .05, it's not clear how various drug levels affect motorists.

Beirness is curious to see if the new survey's numbers reflect a drop 
in alcohol use as a result of more stringent drinking-and-driving laws.

"Right now, [police] are seeing a 40 per cent reduction of fatalities 
over the last couple of years - that's pretty dramatic," he said.

The data collected in this year's survey will be analyzed and 
delivered to the B.C. Superintendent of Motor Vehicles by the fall.

The information collected so far has been valuable, said Sgt. Mike 
Barkley of the Saanich police.

"Data from 2010 showed that during the evenings, 30 per cent of the 
travelling public have alcohol in their system, of which maybe five 
per cent are over the legal limit," Barkley said.

"This year, we'll find out if drugs are more prevalent. I think there 
is a slight increase in it.

"It's not socially acceptable to drink and drive, but maybe some 
people are turning to things like painkillers."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom