DRINKING-DRIVING IN THE PROVINCE OF ONTARIO; A REVIEW OF "CHECK STOP" AND THE 24-HOUR LICENSE SUSPENSION. A REPORT TO THE ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR THE PROVINCE OF ONTARIO

On November 1, 1973 the Province of Alberta implemented a drinking-driving countermeasure program known as "Check Stop". In the spring of this year, Alberta released its First Annual Report on the Check Stop Program. Upon receiving this report, the Deputy Attorney General for the Province of Ontario became interested in the feasibility of implementing a similar program in Ontario. A committee having representatives from each of the Ministries was created. At the outset, the Committee held the view that the Alberta Check Stop Program was essentially a legislative device empowering police officers to suspend a driver's license for 24 hours on suspicion that he had consumed alcohol. Preliminary research revealed that the Province of British Columbia had enacted similar legislation in 1967, yet little was known of its effectiveness in that province. The Committee therefore travelled to both British Columbia and Alberta in order to acquire a better understanding of the programs in those provinces. (Appendix B is a complete itinerary of activities and persons interviewed in both provinces.) The Committee immediately became aware that its earlier view was misconceived, i.e. the Alberta Check Stop Program is not just a 24-hour License Suspension program. Alberta has had 24-hour suspension legislation since 1970, but its Check Stop program is a completely separate and far more extensive drinking-driving countermeasure activity. It involves widespread public education combined with a dramatically increased detection system which includes, as one of its integral components, a 24-hour suspension. On the other hand, while British Columbia employs a 24-hour License Suspension program it has no Check Stop program as such--although the City of Vancouver Police Department does employ a drinking-driving squad. Having observed the different systems in British Columbia and Alberta, the Committee adopted an approach that differed somewhat from its original terms of reference. This Report is therefore divided into three parts which are as follows: Part 1: An analysis and evaluation of the 24-hour License Suspension program as employed in British Columbia and Alberta; Part 2: An analysis and evaluation of the Alberta Check Stop Program; Part 3: Conclusions and recommendations.

• Corporate Authors:

  Ontario Committee on Drinking and Driving, Canada

  Inter-Ministerial Committee
  Ottawa, ONo,   Canada 
• Authors:
  • Morton, H F
  • Bolton, W
  • Hieatt, D
  • Cunliffe, T
• Publication Date: 1975-11

Media Info

• Features: References; Tables;
• Pagination: 83 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Countermeasures; Driver improvement programs; Driver licenses; Drunk drivers; Drunk driving; Probation
• Old TRIS Terms: Driver improvement effort
• Subject Areas: Highways; Law; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00131994
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Highway Safety Research Institute
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jun 5 1976 12:00AM