Impaired driving is the leading criminal cause of death in Canada, accounting for approximately 1,278 deaths, 75,374 injuries, and as much as $ 12.7 billion in financial and social costs. Ironically, the impaired drivers responsible for these statistics are the least likely to be charged and convicted of a criminal offence. In large part, this is a result of the legal and practical difficulties of gathering evidence of blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) from hospitalized impaired drivers. In many cases, these difficulties prevent the collection of credible BAC evidence, and the driver escapes criminal liability altogether. In many cases, the difficulties of obtaining credible BAC evidence allow the impaired to escape criminal liability. (Author/publisher)
Abstract