MADD says no decline in Nova Scotia impaired driving numbers ‘frustrating’

The CEO of MADD Canada says it’s frustrating to see impaired driving still being an issue in Nova Scotia despite the best efforts of the group and law enforcement.

“For the people who we work with who have lost a loved one or been injured in an impaired driving crash, their losses or injuries were so easily preventable if somebody had made a different decision,” Steve Sullivan said Friday.

Statistics released Friday by Nova Scotia RCMP showed the force laid 830 charges of impaired driving by drugs or alcohol during the year, up from 802 in 2022 and 770 in 2021.

The number of charges of refusing a breathalyzer or drug test was 120, down from 133 in 2022. There were 114 in 2021.

The numbers only include RCMP jurisdictions, not municipalities with their own police forces.

The largest municipal force in the province, Halifax Regional Police, laid 341 charges in 2023, up from 279 in 2022 and 254 in 2021.

There were 73 refusals in the municipality, down from 98 the year before but higher than the 46 in 2021.

Sullivan said it’s always hard to say with certainty what’s behind the numbers not dropping.

“There may be some explanations (such as) more and better enforcement, but also police have some different tools now,” he said. 

“They have mandatory alcohol screening, which means they can ask any driver they lawfully stop to give a breath sample for alcohol . . . so it’s easier to get those demands and breath samples from drivers. The more people you ask, the more you’re going to catch.”

Sullivan said that as more officers receive training in detecting drug impairment, the number of charges for drug impaired driving will also go up, which will also increase the statistics.

Last year, 85 of the RCMP charges laid and 80 of those by HRP were for being impaired by drugs.

Sullivan said that whether there are more people driving impaired or enforcement is just better and reflecting how many people are driving impaired, the numbers “are still way too high and too many people are making a decision to drive impaired. There are no excuses. It’s frustrating and disappointing and I think, for some of our folks, will probably cause a lot of hurt and anger, as well.”

He said there is still no one solution to the problem.

“I think it’s continuing public education, education for young people, better and more proactive enforcement. . . . One of the things that does change people’s behaviour is the perception of (a risk) of getting caught.”

He said there has been a significant societal change in the perception of impaired driving, but there is still a segment of the population that will take the risk.

“Ultimately it’s down to people’s personal responsibility. We all have to make a choice. There are so many alternatives to driving impaired.”