Canadian Road Safety News Digest

December 29, 2018

Stiff new penalties for distracted, impaired driving in Ontario begin on Jan. 1

Global News (TORONTO, ONTARIO) After years of calls from advocates to crack down on distracted and impaired driving, stiff penalties passed by the Ontario government will come into force on Tuesday. “Some people are going to be startled to find that it’s as significant a penalty as a risk to the public,” Brian Patterson, president and CEO of […]

Categories: Canadian Road Safety News Digest, News [ More ... ]

December 11, 2018

Mandatory impaired driving laws to hit the roads before holidays

Global News (TORONTO, ONTARIO) Given the recent focus on drug-impaired driving with the legalization of recreational cannabis, new impaired driving laws, related to alcohol, have possibly fallen off the radar. Starting on Dec. 18, stricter drunk driving laws will come into effect. Continue reading this post…

Categories: Canadian Road Safety News Digest, News [ More ... ]

December 7, 2018

Road accident deaths swell to 1.35 million each year: WHO

CTV News (TORONTO, ONTARIO) Road accidents kill someone every 24 seconds, with a total of 1.35 million traffic deaths around the world each year, the World Health Organization said Friday, demanding global action. The number of fatalities annually has swelled by around 100,000 in just three years, with road accidents now the leading killer of […]

Categories: Canadian Road Safety News Digest, News [ More ... ]

September 26, 2018

Reducing residential speed limit in Calgary to 30 km/h the right decision

The Gauntlet (CALGARY, ALBERTA) Amid recent discussions surrounding Ward 7 Coun. Druh Farrell’s motion to reduce Calgary’s residential speed limit to 30 km/h in order to increase pedestrian safety, I’m shocked that some Calgarians are calling this a ‘war on cars.’ While the onus of road safety doesn’t completely fall on drivers, it’s irresponsible to […]

Categories: Canadian Road Safety News Digest, News [ More ... ]

September 21, 2018

Drive high, get charged!

Drug & Alcohol Testing Association of Canada (DATAC), (ONTARIO) With the legalization of cannabis on October 17th looming it is very important for everyone to understand the new cannabis use rules and regulations that come along with it. In this post we will take an in-depth look at the cannabis driving regulations. These are the […]

Categories: Canadian Road Safety News Digest, News [ More ... ]

August 14, 2018

Launch of the Introduction to Cannabis Legislation online training module for Canadian police officers

MarketsInsider (HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA) Today, the RCMP, in partnership with the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP) and the Canadian Police Knowledge Network (CPKN) are pleased to announce that the new online training on cannabis legislation is now available for all Canadian police officers, in both official languages. Continue reading this post…

Categories: Canadian Road Safety News Digest, News [ More ... ]

August 10, 2018

Transport Canada supports projects to prepare Canada for connected and automated vehicles

Transport Canada (TORONTO, ONTARIO) Connected and automated vehicles will bring about significant transformation in our transportation system, our communities, and our economy. They have the potential to improve road safety, reduce congestion, increase mobility, protect the environment, and generate new economic opportunities for middle-class Canadians. The Government of Canada welcomes innovation that will help to […]

Categories: Canadian Road Safety News Digest, News [ More ... ]

August 9, 2018

One in seven cannabis users admits they consumed drug then drove, Statscan says

The Globe and Mail (OTTAWA, ONTARIO) About one in seven cannabis users said they had recently got behind the wheel after consuming the drug, according to a survey by Statistics Canada that reveals lax attitudes toward drug-impaired driving as the country prepares for legalization. Statistics Canada’s National Cannabis Survey results from the first half of […]

Categories: Canadian Road Safety News Digest, News [ More ... ]

June 30, 2018

How police are preparing to catch drivers under the influence of cannabis

CTV News (TORONTO, ONTARIO) With recreational marijuana set to become legal on Oct. 17, police forces across Canada are stepping up efforts to train officers to detect drivers under the influence of the drug. A new piece of legislation that changed Canada’s impaired driving laws gives police enhanced powers to conduct roadside intoxication tests, including […]

Categories: Canadian Road Safety News Digest, News [ More ... ]

June 26, 2018

Police can demand roadside breath sample from any driver as of December

CBC News (OTTAWA, ONTARIO) Starting later this year, Island police can ask any driver for a roadside breath sample, even if the driver does not appear to be intoxicated. The new powers come from federal Bill C-46, which received royal assent on June 21. The law goes hand-in-hand with the upcoming legalization of cannabis, and […]

Categories: Canadian Road Safety News Digest, News [ More ... ]

June 25, 2018

University of Alberta gets $500K for automated vehicle research

Global News (CALGARY, ALBERTA) The federal government has committed $500,000 towards the University of Alberta’s project to improve privacy of automated vehicle communications. The government said the funding will support research, studies and technology to help address technical, policy and regulatory issues related to connected and automated vehicles. Continue reading this post…

Categories: Canadian Road Safety News Digest, News [ More ... ]

March 27, 2018

Province announces rollout of updated impaired driving laws ahead of pot legalization

Edmonton Journal (EDMONTON, ALBERTA) Changes to Alberta’s impaired driving laws that will later include drug limits once cannabis is legalized will take effect April 9, the province announced Tuesday. The updates to the Traffic Safety Act — including a change that responds to a ruling that indefinite roadside licence suspensions are a Charter of Rights violation […]

Categories: Canadian Road Safety News Digest, News [ More ... ]

March 22, 2018

Senate Passes Marijuana Legalization Bill

Huffpost (OTTAWA, ONTARIO) The Senate gave approval in principle Thursday evening to the federal government’s bill to legalize recreational marijuana, after a tense few days of manoeuvring by Conservative senators hoping to derail one of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s signature election promises. Bill C-45 passed at second reading by a vote of 44-29. Continue reading […]

Categories: Canadian Road Safety News Digest, News [ More ... ]

March 20, 2018

Toyota pauses self-driving car testing amid Uber accident probe

CBC News (TORONTO, ONTARIO) Toyota Motor Corp. said on Tuesday it will pause autonomous vehicle testing following an accident in which an Uber Technologies Inc self-driving vehicle struck and killed a woman in Tempe, Ariz. Toyota said in a statement “the incident may have an emotional effect on our test drivers. This ‘timeout’ is meant […]

Categories: Canadian Road Safety News Digest, News [ More ... ]

January 30, 2018

Manitoba Will Allow for Testing and Use of Autonomous Vehicles on Provincial Roads

Manitoba Post (WINNIPEG, MANITOBA) The Manitoba government will bring forward legislative amendments which would allow for testing and use of autonomous vehicles on provincial highways, Infrastructure Minister Ron Schuler said in a press release. Continue reading this post…

Categories: Canadian Road Safety News Digest, News [ More ... ]

January 24, 2018

‘The car was driving’ says Tesla owner suspected of DUI after San Francisco crash

National Post (SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA) The driver had a blood alcohol content nearly double the legal limit and a tenuous relationship with consciousness when his car slammed into the back of a parked firetruck on San Francisco’s Bay Bridge.  Still, he became maybe the first to add a technologically advanced new entry to the list […]

Categories: Canadian Road Safety News Digest, News [ More ... ]

December 29, 2017

Drunk driving to be largely decriminalized in Alberta in 2018

CBC News (EDMONTON, ALBERTA) Changes are coming to the way drunk drivers are policed and prosecuted in Alberta with the provincial government set to issue a directive to police that will largely decriminalize impaired driving, CBC News has learned. Officers will be given wide discretion whether to criminally charge those who blow over the legal limit. […]

Categories: Canadian Road Safety News Digest, News [ More ... ]

December 20, 2017

Transport Canada makes two electronic devices mandatory for trucks and buses

December 20, 2017, Insurance Business Magazine (OTTAWA, ONTARIO) Transport Canada has passed new regulations that require commercial trucks and buses to have two electronic safety devices installed. The new regulations require electronic stability control technology on new truck tractors and heavy buses sold in Canada. Separate proposed regulations will implement mandatory electronic logging devices for […]

Categories: Canadian Road Safety News Digest, News [ More ... ]

October 31, 2017

Feds announce $36.4M public education campaign on legalized pot

CTV News (OTTAWA, ONTARIO) As plans to legalize marijuana move forward, the federal government is spending $36.4 million over the next five years on a marijuana education and awareness campaign. The campaign will aim to educate Canadians—youth in particular— about the health and safety risks of marijuana use, and drug-impaired driving, the government says. Continue […]

Categories: Canadian Road Safety News Digest, News [ More ... ]

October 25, 2017

Canadian Trucking Groups Call for Zero Tolerance as Marijuana Legalization Looms

Transport Topics (TORONTO, ONTARIO) Canadian trucking associations are calling for a zero-tolerance policy for marijuana use among drivers as the country prepares to legalize the drug for recreational purposes in July 2018. Continue reading this post…  

Categories: Canadian Road Safety News Digest, News [ More ... ]