Alcohol ignition interlock device an effective tool

If you've been convicted of a drinking and driving offence in Canada, you may be aware of the alcohol interlock device.

This is a breath alcohol screening device that prevents vehicles from starting if the driver's blood alcohol level is above a prescribed limit (20 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood).

The Ontario government introduced its Ignition Interlock Program in 2001. It states that anyone who commits an impaired driving offence under the Criminal Code of Canada, and is subsequently convicted, is subject to this program.

Drivers who have been convicted of a drinking-driving offence have the option of installing an alcohol interlock device in their vehicles. First-time offenders submit to a minimum one-year alcohol interlock condition. Second-time offenders submit to a minimum of a three-year condition, and third-time offenders face a lifetime alcohol interlock condition.

If you purchase a vehicle from a registered new-car dealer in Ontario, and you use one of these devices, it's your responsibility to notify the dealership about installing it in your new car. It is your responsibility to arrange for installation with the MTO-designated service provider, Guardian Interlock Service.

Drivers who use this device should inform the service staff at their dealership, prior to any mechanical or electrical work being performed on their vehicles. Certified technicians will ensure that the operation of the alcohol interlock device is not disrupted while your vehicle is being repaired.

I suppose that this device is good news for those who use it and for other motorists. But it's also a sad testament to the high drinking and driving conviction rates that continue to pose a risk to the public. For all of the media blitzes and awareness campaigns meant to raise awareness about drinking and driving, drivers still aren't heeding the message about the dangers of this type of criminal behaviour.

Last December, Julian Fantino, Ontario Provincial Police commissioner, vented his frustration about this issue in an open letter. He wrote: "With all the knowledge, awareness, education and exposure dedicated to the prevention of this particular crime, Canadians have either tuned out the message or tuned themselves out of the problem in the misguided belief that the consequences of drunk driving will happen only to someone else."

Fantino cited a poll conducted by the Ottawa-based Traffic Injury Research Foundation, which revealed that the number of Canadians that admitted to impaired driving rose 3 per cent in three years, from 5.6 per cent in 2004 to 8.2 per cent.

The Toronto Automobile Dealers' Association is a strong supporter of safe and responsible driving. Our association endorses the alcohol interlock device as an effective tool in discouraging drinking and driving in Ontario.

This device serves as a deterrent for drinking and driving, and it's helping to make the roads safer for everyone. Not only is the alcohol interlock device a success on our roads, but the company that manufacturers it, Alcohol Countermeasures Systems (ACS), is a "made in Ontario" success story, based in Toronto.

In my opinion, however, the alcohol interlocking device will certainly deter some motorists from driving while intoxicated. But there's a subtle message here that says some drinking is okay – so long as your blood alcohol level is below a certain limit.

For those who have been convicted of a drinking and driving offence, there should be a zero tolerance policy that prohibits any alcohol in their systems if they drive.

As long as the law permits a little bit of drinking and driving, then these offenders will continue to pose a risk to themselves and to others.

This column represents the views of

TADA. Email: president@tada.ca

or visit www.tada.ca.

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