A roadside drug and alcohol survey was conducted in Yellowknife from Wednesday to Saturday last week.
The initiative collected voluntary data on the use of alcohol and drugs by nighttime drivers in Yellowknife, according to the territorial government, who enlisted the help of the city’s Municipal Enforcement Division.
“Drivers were randomly selected for the survey and asked if they would voluntarily participate by answering a series of questions concerning their attitudes, opinions and knowledge about impaired driving,” reads a July 17 GNWT news release.
Participants were asked to provide an oral fluid sample and breath sample to be tested for the presence of drugs and alcohol. Three hundred of the more than 400 motorists randomly selected from the traffic flow obliged.
All participation and information provided for the survey was confidential and anonymous, the government stated. The data will contribute to the national picture on the prevalence of impaired driving and inform GNWT public education and awareness efforts.
The last such survey in 2018 provided baseline data on impaired driving before the legalization of cannabis. Five years later, this new survey will provide comparative data.
“Interviews were conducted with drivers randomly selected from a traffic stream at eight pre-selected sites in Yellowknife on Wednesday through Saturday nights between the hours of 9 p.m. and 3 a.m.,” said Thomas Ethier, communications officer with GNWT Department of Justice. “Interviews were conducted at each site for 90 minutes.”
Though there were impaired drivers and others suspected of being impaired by alcohol or drugs found during the survey, no charges were laid. Instead a safe ride home was offered.
The final report based on the roadside survey will be provided to the GNWT by the end of September 2023, Ethier added.