Between 1996 and 1998, the government of the province of Ontario, Canada introduced comprehensive legislation to improve road safety. Several measures in that legislation were designed to reduce drinking and driving. They were complementary to laws contained in the federal Criminal Code of Canada and existing provincial legislation. This report presents the results of an early evaluation of the effects of these measures on road safety and provides some insights from the different ministries on the implementation of these laws, and the challenges they presented to the criminal justice system. Data on driver's licence suspensions, drinking and driving-related collisions, (federal) Criminal Code charges and convictions, and effects on the criminal justice system are presented to provide an assessment of the effects of these wide-ranging countermeasures to date. Suggestions for a more comprehensive evaluation are also made.
Samenvatting