Sask. RCMP to start screening for alcohol at all traffic stops

Drivers pulled over by Mounties in Saskatchewan can expect an alcohol screening, regardless of why they were stopped.

The Saskatchewan RCMP said officers will be adding mandatory alcohol screenings to all lawful traffic stops starting April 1.

Since 2018, the Criminal Code has allowed police to demand a breath sample without any reasonable suspicion that a driver is impaired, the RCMP explained.

The roadside breath test only takes around 90 seconds, the RCMP said, but refusing to comply or failing to “provide a suitable breath sample” leads to a criminal charge, a suspended licence, an impounded vehicle, driving demerit points and financial penalties.

The Mounties released a YouTube video to walk people through the screening process.

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“The certainty of a Mandatory Alcohol Screening is to help discourage those consuming alcohol from getting behind the wheel,” RCMP Supt. Grant St. Germaine said in a statement.

“It goes without saying that someone’s ability to mask their impairment should not be the determining factor if someone gets home safely to their family each night.”

According to the RCMP, Mounties charged more than 1,700 people with impaired driving in 2023, and alcohol was a factor in a third of all fatal collisions.

According to SGI, an average of 34 people die every year in Saskatchewan as a result of impaired driving.

“The Saskatchewan RCMP hopes to see a decrease in impaired driving charges throughout the province,” the RCMP said in a statement.

“Choosing to take a safe ride home could save multiple lives and keep Saskatchewan roadways safe.”

The move by the RCMP follows a similar initiative from the Regina Police Service which began at the start of March.