Regional police introduce mandatory alcohol screening pilot project

Beginning on July 1, Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) will be introducing the launch of a Mandatory Alcohol Screening Pilot Project.

The pilot will be carried out through until December 2024.

WRPS said in a media release that it’s to combat impaired driving to improve road and community safety in Waterloo Region.

According to police, 939 impaired driving-related charges were laid in 2023. Impaired driving was a factor in two traffic collision fatalities last year.

During the pilot project, officers from WRPS’ traffic unit will conduct mandatory alcohol screening as part of every traffic stop.

Drivers who are stopped by officers will be read a “legal demand” for a sample of their breath into a roadside screening device. Drivers who do not comply with giving a breath sample could be charged for failure or refusal to comply under the Criminal Code.

“Waterloo Regional Police are committed to reducing impaired driving through enforcement and education,” said Scott Griffiths of the WRPS Traffic Services Unit in a media release. “Mandatory alcohol screening is an additional proactive step that we can take to deter and better detect alcohol-impaired drivers and improve safety for all road users in Waterloo Region.”

Regional police said while this is a pilot project until the end of 2024, all officers have the ability to conduct mandatory alcohol screening during traffic stops. That has been in place since 2018.

This pilot is similar to what Ontario Provincial Police’s Highway Safety Division mandated in May 2024.