Police deal with drivers impaired by medical conditions too often, expert testifies

A policingexpert in traffic and road safetywas a key witness Tuesday at the coroner's inquest underway in Sudbury.

The five-member jury continues toheartestimony about the July 2015 death of 72-year old Walter Blight.The Elliot Lake man was killed in a crash on Highway 69 near Killarney.

It's thought his medical conditions were likely impairing his ability to drive. The inquest is expected make recommendations that will prevent similar deaths from happening in the future.

In the hours prior to his death, Blight had been stopped by OPP in Blind River and Greater Sudbury Police in the city. His vehicle was reportedly weaving and driving erratically.

Police thought he was an impaired driver, but the inquest has learned he had a respiratory illness and other health issues that likely affected his driving.

What has come to light through testimony is that officers couldn't stop him from driving awayafter their traffic stop because he had a valid driver's licence.

Retired policeinspector Mark Andrews says officers in Ontario deal with drivers like Blight all the time.

"There's far too many."

Andrews managed the provincial police traffic unit in northeastern Ontario for 12 years before his retirement in November 2015. Hetestified Tuesday at the coroner's inquest as an expert witness.

Andrews says all detachments throughout the OPP have stopped drivers who seem impaired, but likely have a medical conditions that is affecting their driving. All officers can do is write a report about the driving concerns.

"The officer will automatically make a request to the Ministry of Transportation which is the licencing authority in Ontario for a retest to look at this driver's ability," he said.

Andrews explainedthat the driver's licence request goes into the ministry's system, butit's not immediate.

"That's part of the problem. Sometimes we see things that we need immediate action on, and we just haven't got there yet, we don't have that ability," Andrews said.

"There's a gap between what law enforcement is seeing on [the] road, what medical practitioners are seeing in their clinics and what the ministry of transport, thelicencingauthority, can do and how quickly they can do it to get someone off the road," he said.

Alberta 24-hourstop-gap measure

He testified aboutlegislation in Alberta that has a 24-hour suspension for drivers with fatigue or a medical condition. Andrews called it a stop-gap measure.

He says it's not the answer to the problem,but it's the closest he could find in Canada.

"I don't think it's the answer, because if it is fatigue, that [24-hour legislation] could be the answer because 24 hours you should be able to get enough sleep to be safe to drive."

"But if it's a medical issue, very few of these kinds of medical issues that we're talking about, like dementia, Alzheimer'sand cognitive impairment, they're not going to disappear in 24-hours," he said.

He also adds that this isn't just a northern Ontario issue.

"This whole issue is huge, and it has impactsacross all of Ontario, across the country actually."

Working together

Andrews says all partners need to be involved in implementing the jury's recommendations - police, doctors and the Ministry of Transportation, groups that work with seniors and those with disabilities.

When it comes to possible recommendations from the coroner's inquest jury, Andrews has a few ideas as to whatthe answers should be.

"Come up with a solution that will allow quick identification of someone who shouldn't be driving, a quick solution to assess their driving to see if they can, recommendations how to make it so that they have the ability to be mobile from point A to point B and not be punitive. This can't cost them," he said.

"Inquiries like this inquest will hopefully give us the tools so that we can effectively deal with it, and we can keep people safe, productive,in their homes,in their communities and on the highways safely."