On Sunday mornings when I'm out running along the gravel roads in my rural community, I often notice fresh beer cans in the ditches. Ugliness aside, their presence in such a remote place can mean only one thing: impaired drivers have been this way.
In this issue on road safety, we look at the pervasive problem of alcohol- and drug-impaired drivers, distracted motorists and speeders, and what tools and techniques police use to stop them.
To begin, the RCMP and other police agencies have started preparing for the changes to Canada's drug-impaired driving laws by offering new and updated training. Amelia Thatcher explains in detail how the new courses teach police officers to identify the signs of drug and alcohol impairment and get drivers tested if warranted.
The second step is enforcement and awareness. Thatcher speaks to an RCMP traffic services unit in Manitoba that targets the back roads. The results of their rural enforcement campaign snagged a shocking number of drivers who were violating basic traffic laws. One of the officers involved says she simply "follows the beer cans" to know where to wait for impaired drivers.
But impairment isn't the only hazard. Paul Northcott spent several days with the Integrated Road Safety Unit in Surrey, B.C. The team focuses its efforts on all dangerous drivers, from speeders to smartphone users. The techniques they use allow them to get up close and spot the telltale downward gaze of distracted motorists.
Northcott also writes about traffic speciality units such as the Prohibited Driver Enforcement Team, which catches repeat dangerous drivers who are illegally behind the wheel. He also features the work of collision reconstructionists as well as the RCMP's Motorcycle Traffic Enforcement Unit, whose operators on two wheels can easily manoeuvre through B.C.'s congested highways.
For officers enforcing Canada's roadways, danger prevails. Aside from drivers who willfully break the laws are those who don't reduce their speed and change lanes when police officers and their vehicles are stopped on the side of the road. As one traffic officer points out, slowing down and moving over takes only seconds and could save a life. Officer and driver awareness are key.
Finally in this issue, you can read seasonal driving tips from an RCMP traffic veteran, learn about mobile road-safety units and the role they play in supporting enforcement and awareness initiatives, and find out in our panel discussion what policing approaches work best for off-road vehicle safety.
Summer is here, and the roadways are busy. Keep your eyes forward, and follow those cans.