Saskatoon police say new impaired driving laws not a factor in checkstop breath tests

Saskatoon police say new impaired driving laws didn't make a difference to officers doing spot checks in the city's downtown on Tuesday night, even though they did take more breath samples than usual.

Officers who pulled over 400 vehicles were armed with new powers that say as long as they have pulled someone over for a lawful reason, they can demand a breath test even without "reasonable suspicion" that the driver had been drinking.

The roadside breath test is not evidence of impairment, according to police. Rather, it is a way to screen drivers. If they fail the roadside test, they are then taken to the police station for a breathalyzer.

Tuesday's spot check was timed to take place the same day the new changes took effect. But the 23 drivers who ended up doing breath tests had all indicated they had been drinking, which constitutes reasonable suspicion, said Deputy Chief Mitch Yuzdepski.

That means they would have been asked to do a breath test under the old laws anyway.

In the end, none of those 23 people tested above the legal limit.

Yuzdepski attributes the higher-than-usual number of tests to the holiday season.

Saskatoon police are wading into putting the new "mandatory alcohol screening" law into practice, and want to be careful not to delay people longer than than needed when they're pulled over, Yuzdepski said.

"We're not just going to sort of arbitrarily pull someone over and do that," he said.

In the 400 cars checked on Tuesday, there was only one issue.

The driver had allegedly consumed pot, and police impounded the vehicle and seized the driver's licence.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving volunteers were on hand for the checkstop.

They say the new police powers will lead to fewer deaths on the road.