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Unit 2 Law Project

Impaired driving laws in Canada have evolved significantly since their inception in the early 20th century, transitioning from basic prohibitions to measurable standards with a legal BAC limit of 0.08% established in the 1960s. Technological advancements, such as breathalyzers and vehicle safety features, have enhanced law enforcement's ability to address impaired driving, while social attitudes have shifted towards viewing it as a serious crime due to its deadly consequences. Recent changes include the legalization of cannabis and the introduction of THC limits, reflecting the ongoing adaptation of laws to contemporary issues.

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12 views3 pages

Unit 2 Law Project

Impaired driving laws in Canada have evolved significantly since their inception in the early 20th century, transitioning from basic prohibitions to measurable standards with a legal BAC limit of 0.08% established in the 1960s. Technological advancements, such as breathalyzers and vehicle safety features, have enhanced law enforcement's ability to address impaired driving, while social attitudes have shifted towards viewing it as a serious crime due to its deadly consequences. Recent changes include the legalization of cannabis and the introduction of THC limits, reflecting the ongoing adaptation of laws to contemporary issues.

Uploaded by

ghantaisita42
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Canadian Impaired Driving Laws:

Past, Present, and Future


By Isita Ghanta
Unit 2: Law Report
Overview
Impaired driving laws have been enacted as the part of Canada By Legislation for nearly a
hundred years. By the end of 1921 the first laws against driving while intoxicated had been
added to the Criminal Code of Canada: for the most part, they were quite elementary and
forbidden as from being under the effects of alcohol at the time of driving, without any
specific means for the enforcement of the law.
But gradually through time, the laws evolved with measurable standards: with progress to
becoming legal measurable standards-having a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit.
This legal limit officially set at 0.08 % in the early 1960s made it easier for the police to
prove that a driver is impaired by scientific methods rather than only by observations.
Provinces began to implement even administrative penalties-such as license suspensions-
before any criminal conviction during the 1970s and 1980s. Recently, modifications in the
Criminal Code allowed police officers to undertake mandatory alcohol screening without
reasonable suspicion, thus imprinting the enforcement even strictly.
It was significant changes caused under the legalization of cannabis in 2018. While thus
expanding the statutes to drug-impaired driving: setting legal limitations of THC levels in
the blood, informed such changes will be on-par or at least keeping up with the evolution in
driving laws.

Technological Pressures: Vehicles and Breathalyzers


Another major factor in the evolution of laws against impaired driving has been technology.
The breathalyzer was invented during the 1950s and was indeed a remarkable development.
It provided a very fast and reliable means for police to measure the BAC of a driver at the
site of the offence, thus increasing the rate of successful prosecution.
Breathalyzer technology has changed during the years, mainly to become increasingly
precise as well as easy and practical to use. Roadside screening devices have become the
standard tools for law enforcement across Canada today.
The changes in vehicle technologies have also affected some ways. Today's vehicles are
fitted with such safety features as Automatic braking, Collision detection and Lane keeping
assists, some even being fitted with ignition interlock devices to some repeat offenders,
where the vehicle will allow starting upon a successful breathalyzer test.
With the development of fully autonomous vehicles, the legislators also start theorizing on
how to apply the impaired driving laws for scenarios related to vehicles possibly driving
themselves without any driver controlling it.
Social Pressures: Changes in Morality and Values
The other important aspect of this social influence, which includes many categories, is that
the values have changed altogether during the last century, and this is reflected in the
punishment of impaired driving. In the early 20th century, driving under the influence of
alcohol, in the view of many people, would certainly be an indication of irresponsibility but
not necessarily a crime, compounded less by public awareness.
Because of increasing evidence of the deadly consequences of drinking and driving,
attitudes started changing. By the end of the 1980s, advocacy groups started mobilizing
public opinion about the need to have stiffer laws on impaired driving.

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