Merci beaucoup.
I am pleased and honoured to be here with you today to speak about reducing alcohol-related deaths on Canada's roads.
My name is Robert Mann. I am the senior scientist with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, and I'm the director of the Collaborative Program in Addiction Studies at the University of Toronto.
Drunk driving is one of the largest causes of alcohol-related death in Canada and is the largest criminal cause of death. Thus it is appropriate and commendable for Parliament to be considering ways to reduce those deaths.
Dr. Jürgen Rehm and his colleagues, in their report on the costs of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs for the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, estimated the number of Canadians killed in alcohol-related collisions in 2002 to be 909, a number that for several reasons is acknowledged to be a substantial underestimate. Of these victims, an estimated 28 were children 14 and under, and an additional 74 were teenagers and young adults. To put this number in context, 30 members of Canada's armed forces were killed in Afghanistan in 2007.
There is now substantial evidence from Canada and other countries that legal initiatives to control and prevent impaired driving can be very successful. For example, our recent evaluation of the introduction by Parliament of Canada's 1969 per se law, which made it a criminal offence to drive with a blood alcohol content over 80 milligrams percent, has shown that in Ontario this law was associated with a reduction of 18% in drunk driving fatalities on a continuing basis.
Two areas where there is now clear scientific evidence to support additional government action in Canada are, first, lowering the legal limit for driving to 50 milligrams percent, and, second, introducing random breath testing. A third area where the evidence strongly indicates that improvement can be made is in our use of ignition interlock devices. Finally, it's also important to remember the crucial role that alcohol regulation plays in preventing drunk driving fatalities.
Norway introduced the first legal limit in 1936 and set their limit at 50 milligrams percent. Canada's current legal limit is 80 milligrams percent, modelled on the limit introduced by Great Britain in 1967.
There are now three key lines of evidence that provide strong support for a legal limit of 50 milligrams percent. First of all, it's abundantly clear from laboratory studies that driving skills are significantly impaired at that level. There is no question of that now.
Second, it is also clear that risks of being involved in a collision, including a fatal collision, are significantly increased at that level. For example, a recent study by Paul Zador and his colleagues in the United States found that the minimum increase in risk of involvement in a fatal collision was eightfold, and that for most age and gender groups the risk was substantially increased beyond that.
The third line of evidence is evaluations of the impact observed when legal limits are lowered. This research was largely unavailable when legal limits in most jurisdictions, including Canada, were originally set. It therefore provides an important new line of evidence for lawmakers to consider.
A consistent conclusion of recent reviews of this literature is that in most or all jurisdictions in which BAC limits have been lowered, substantial reductions in various measures of the drinking and driving problem, including injuries and fatalities, have been observed.
The potential impact on fatalities on our roads can be substantial. In 1998 my colleagues and I reported that if we saw the same effects in Canada that have been observed in scientifically rigorous studies in Australia and Europe, lowering the legal limit in Canada to 50 milligrams percent could prevent between 185 and 555 deaths per year on our highways. Rigorous scientific research that has appeared since that time has served to support and strengthen that conclusion. It is also important to note that every evidence-based health and safety organization that has considered this issue has recommended a 50-milligram percent limit.
Random breath testing originated in Australia and Europe in the 1970s as a means of dealing with the drunk driving problem. The key to random breath testing is allowing the police to request a breath sample without probable cause. This permits the processing of large numbers of drivers at the roadside as a way to increase general deterrence. Evaluations and reviews of random breath testing support its effectiveness in reducing alcohol-related collisions and fatalities.
Reviews of random screening measures, including random breath testing, found across studies a reduction—ranging from 8% to 71%—in alcohol-related fatalities, with an average reduction of 30.6% in accidents with injuries. Because of these positive results, random breath testing has been supported by many health organizations. In the recent WHO-sponsored study of measures to prevent alcohol-related harms, it was also one of the measures given strongest support.
There are existing technologies available that appear able to reduce impaired driving, and there is promise of important developments in the future.
One technology now in use is the ignition interlock device, which, when installed on a vehicle, prevents its operation by a driver with a BAC above a predetermined level. The available evidence provides a very clear indication that impaired driving and recidivism are significantly reduced while these devices are installed on the vehicle. However, a substantial concern with interlock programs as they now exist is the low level of utilization of interlock devices among offenders eligible to use them. Typical utilization rates are 10% or less.
Thus, while existing laws and regulations permit the use of interlock devices, their potential impact on traffic safety has not yet been realized. Increasing that beneficial impact may require consideration of those laws and policies that affect their use.
In summary, the Government of Canada has the opportunity to take important action to reduce drunk driving fatalities in this country through legal initiatives. The available scientific evidence indicates that important reductions in drinking and driving and associated fatalities can be achieved through reducing the legal limit in the Criminal Code to 50 milligrams percent, introducing random breath testing, and more effectively using ignition interlock devices.
The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health supports the Government of Canada in its efforts to prevent deaths and injuries resulting from alcohol-impaired driving. We also note that if legal changes are made, it is essential that resources to support their implementation and to rigorously evaluate their impact be provided.
Thank you very much.