Executive Summary of MADD Canada’s
Alcohol Ignition Interlock Program Report

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD Canada) has released a new report and report card entitled, Rating the Provinces and Territories on Ignition Interlock Programs:  The 2008 Report Card. This is the executive summary found within the document.

• Alcohol ignition interlock programs have been implemented in eight provinces and one territory in Canada.  Plans to implement an alcohol ignition interlock program are currently under way in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.

• MADD Canada has engaged a research team to identify the key elements of a model alcohol ignition interlock program and to evaluate the programs in each province and territory in terms of current best practices.

• MADD Canada has released this comprehensive study to provide the provinces and territories with information on realistic and effective measures that will improve the effectiveness of their alcohol ignition interlock programs. Rating the Provinces and Territories on Ignition Interlock Programs: The 2008 Report Card will serve as the basis for MADD Canada’s ongoing discussions with the provincial and territorial governments on the critical role that they can play in reducing impaired driving.

• A summary of legislation, regulations and current practice was prepared for each province and territory (Nunavut was not included in the evaluation).

• The summaries examined five areas: device specifications; participation and eligibility; program structure; program monitoring and criteria for removal; and police powers and sanctions.

• Jurisdictions were rated against The Rating Scoresheet by two leading experts in alcohol ignition interlock programs. The Rating Scoresheet was based on the comprehensive review of the literature on best practices in alcohol ignition interlock programs.  The review is detailed in a companion document, Elements of a Model Ignition Interlock Program, which is available on the MADD Canada website (www.madd.ca).

• The Rating Scoresheet reflects the following underlying principles.
  
  
• Alcohol ignition interlock devices should adhere to a recognized standard and contain features that prevent the device from being bypassed, or circumvented by another individual.
  
  
• Alcohol ignition interlock programs should be mandatory for all Criminal Code offenders.
  
  
• The program should include an incentive to encourage Criminal Code offenders serving a hard licence suspension/disqualification to apply for early reinstatement to a restricted licence subject to an alcohol ignition interlock order.
  

• Program participants should be required to complete a remedial program prior to being eligible for full licence privileges.
  
  
• Participants should be actively monitored and there should be established criteria for determining when participants are eligible for full licence privileges.
  
  
• Minimum requirements for an alcohol ignition interlock should be one year for the first offence, three years for a second offence within a ten-year period, and five years for a third offence within a ten-year period.
  
  
• The program should be supported by effective police enforcement powers and resources, to prevent impaired driving offenders from driving unlicensed or driving without an alcohol ignition interlock.
  
  
• Police should be trained to recognize an alcohol ignition interlock and should be carrying out licence status checks at all routine police stops.
  
  
• Those who continue to drive unlicensed or improperly licensed should be subject to vehicle impoundment and forfeiture.

• In this first review of an alcohol ignition interlock programs, Alberta led the way in overall scores, closely followed by Ontario and Prince Edward Island.

• The Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick which currently do not have an alcohol ignition interlock program were lowest in the rankings.

• The table below summarizes the overall performance of the provinces and territories in 2008. For a more detailed discussion of each jurisdiction’s 2008 ranking and grade, readers are encouraged to review the individual provincial and territorial summaries which start on page 13 of this report.

 

 

For more information and interviews, call:

Margaret Miller, MADD Canada National President @ (902) 758-5328
Andy Murie, MADD Canada CEO @ 1-800-665-6233, ext. 224
Robert Solomon, MADD Canada Legal Policy Director (Co-author) @ (519) 661-3603

Also see...

• MADD Canada calls for Mandatory Alcohol Ignition Interlock Programs
• Rating the Provinces and Territories on Ignition Interlock Programs:  The 2008 Report Card
• Methodology of MADD Canada’s Alcohol Ignition Interlock Program Report
• Elements of a Model Ignition Interlock Program