The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Making Manitoba's streets safer is the goal of mandatory ignition interlock devices and proposed roadside testing announced recently by Transportation and Government Services Minister Ron Lemieux and Attorney General Gord Mackintosh. "The introduction of ignition interlocks and giving police the ability to require sobriety tests will provide Manitobans with a greater level of safety on our roads," said Lemieux. "The amendments will very clearly establish police authority to screen for and detect drug and alcohol impairment in drivers at the roadside," said Mackintosh. Effective today, December 1, ignition interlock devices are mandatory and apply to all first time offenders convicted of impaired driving causing death or bodily harm and to all repeat impaired driving offenders. The device requires a breath sample from the driver and prevents the vehicle from starting if alcohol is detected. Random re-tests will be required while the vehicle is operating. If alcohol is detected, an alarm system will be activated until the engine is turned off or an acceptable sample is provided. Proposed changes to the Highway Traffic Act include: Standard Field Sobriety Testing (SFST) is a series of tests, which include eye response, one-leg stand, and walk and turn, used to identify drivers who may be impaired by drugs or alcohol without the use of a breath screening device. Roadside Questioning would allow police to question a driver during roadside stops to determine if the driver has been drinking or is otherwise unfit to drive without having to first allow that person to consult a lawyer.
