For decades, traffic authorities have talked to teenage drivers about the dangers linked to driving while intoxicated (DWI). Now those same authorities are returning to the classroom, in order to share information on a different sort of DWI. That is the dangerous practice known as driving while impaired. Drivers that engage in that type of DWI are high on cannabis (marijuana).
A law gives rise to the expectations.
On October 17, 2018, residents of Alberta voted to accept a proposed law. That new law allowed medical and recreational use of cannabis throughout the Province.
Tasks that are hard for a driver that is high on cannabis:
• Merging into traffic
• Turning
• Dealing with distractions
• Staying aware of pedestrians: That includes an awareness of the fact that a driver might have stopped in order to yield the right of way to a pedestrian.
Is it a crime to drive after using cannabis?
Yes, anyone that has used marijuana (cannabis) should wait at least 2 hours before driving. Alberta is getting ready to test the concentration of cannabis in drivers that have been driving in an erratic manner. Those with a concentration that exceeds 2ng per ml of tested fluid can be convicted and charged with a crime.
What fluids can be tested?
Blood, urine and saliva
Where does the testing take place?
Testing of a driver’s blood or urine must be done at a police station. Ideally, the new devices will allow police officers to test a driver’s saliva at the side of the road.
When will police be able to use the new devices?
Those are being tested now in various police stations.
What special features have been added to such devices?
They are more accurate, so that a false negative reading does not trick a police officer into believing that a driver has not used marijuana, even though he or she is really rather “high.” By the same token, the more accurate testing equipment does not produce lots of false positives.
Alberta does not want to fill its courtrooms with men and women that have been charged with driving while impaired, yet did not really have a high concentration of cannabis in their bloodstream. That is a major reason why traffic authorities will be watching the results obtained by the police that get a chance to try the new testing equipment.
Personal injury lawyers in St. Albert will be watching, too. After all, the more accurate the equipment, the weaker becomes any excuse that might be presented by a defendant’s attorney. Understand that the same attorney could be defending a defendant that has caused an accident, one that resulted in a personal injury to a driver or passenger in the impacted vehicle.