Drinking and Driving

Alcohol is an addictive drug that depresses the brain (central nervous system). Blood alcohol content (BAC) may be affected by gender, physical condition, weight, medication and other factors.

Absorbed into the blood stream very quickly, alcohol enters the brain where it immediately affects your brain functions and driving abilities. As a result, alcohol is one of the leading contributing factors in fatal crashes in Saskatchewan.

Our goal is to educate the public concerning the hazards of drinking and driving, particularly new and young drivers and how they can get involved with awareness partners to teach others about alcohol prevention.

If you have been charged with drinking and driving, we want to show you how you can get back on the road again and explain the consequences of driving while already disqualified.

Drinking and driving statistics

• Alcohol use continues to be a dominant contributing factor in casualty collisions in Saskatchewan, especially over the last 3 years.
• Though we had seen a long-term decreasing trend in the number of alcohol-related casualty collisions in the province, since 2006 there has been a reversal of this positive downward trend.
• In 2008, alcohol was a factor in 63 fatal collisions, which is a 46.5% increase from the previous 3-year average of 43 collisions.
• In addition, the number of injuries resulting from alcohol-related crashes was 929, a 21.8% increase from the previous 3-year average of 763.

For detailed statistics on drinking and driving accidents in Saskatchewan, review Section 10 - Alcohol of our Traffic Accident Information System (TAIS) report.

Provincial statistics provided by Saskatchewan Traffic Accident Information System 2005 Preliminary Casualty Collision Summary. National statistics provided by Transport Canada.