• How to get the full report

SURVEY FINDINGS

Transport Canada and MADD Canada hired EKOS Research Associates to find out what Canadians know, worry and feel about impaired driving. The results will help them raise awareness about this important subject and make decisions that will make Canada’s roads safer for everyone.

When asked about impaired driving, most Canadian drivers:

Know that:

• The Criminal Code of Canada blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit is .08%

Are surprised by:

• How many drinks people can have before reaching the legal BAC limit

Worry about:

• Drunk drivers (91 per cent)
• Drivers using marijuana, cocaine or methamphetamine (85 per cent)

Most people who made up the survey’s focus groups believe that this problem can be solved. They agree that all levels of government should work towards that goal.

Feel that:

• Fewer people are driving while impaired by alcohol.
• More people are driving under the influence of both legal and illegal drugs. When asked, young drivers say that most youth frown on drinking and driving, but do not frown on driving “high”.
• Very few people who drink and drive get stopped by police – especially on weekday nights. They want better enforcement of impaired driving laws.

Strongly support bringing in laws that:

• Have a BAC limit of .05% as one way to reduce the number of impaired driving crashes;
• Take away vehicles from drivers who continue to drive while their license is suspended for impaired driving (89 per cent);
• Require all drivers under the legal drinking age to have a zero blood alcohol limit (89 per cent);
• Require all drivers involved in a collision with deaths or injuries to provide a breath sample to police (88 per cent);
• Allow police officers to give behaviour tests to all drivers they suspect are impaired by drugs (84 per cent);
• Allow police officers to compel a body fluid sample from drivers they believe are impaired by drugs;
• Hand out stiffer penalties to drivers found guilty of impaired driving with children under the age of 16 in the vehicle (84 per cent); and
• Require all drivers found guilty of drinking and driving to have their vehicles fitted with a breath-testing device so that their vehicle will not start if they have been drinking (83 per cent).

How to get the full report:

The full report on the "Impaired Driving Survey for Transport Canada/MADD Canada - Final Report" is available in portable document format (PDF - 420 KB).  To view PDF documents you must use Adobe® Acrobat Reader. Visit the Adobe site to download the latest, free version.

If you need an alternative format or for more information, please contact us by e-mail at RoadSafetyWebMail@tc.gc.ca or call toll free 1-800-333-0371 (Ottawa area (613) 998-8616).