With plenty of reasons to get together this month, such as hosting friends to watch the Oscars or JUNOS, heading out for St. Patrick’s Day, gathering to cheer on the top teams in your March Madness bracket, or just spending time with loved ones while you wait out the winter, SGI is reminding you: if you drink, don't drive. "For this March, we just want to remind people that there's never a good reason to drive impaired. So we want people to make sure that they are focusing and paying attention to the most important thing, and that's getting home safe," said Heather Hubic, manager of media relations with SGI. "We all have a part to play in making sure everyone gets home safe, and there are plenty of good options to do that. So that would be doing things such as picking a designated driver or volunteering to be one for your group, calling or texting a loved one for a ride, taking a cab, a bus, a ride share, maybe a designated driving service, or even staying the night." Police have the right to demand a roadside breath sample from any driver they legally stop, using an approved screening device. "They don't need to suspect alcohol to make this request, and it is important that drivers keep that in mind. The goal here is to prevent future tragedies." The federal legislation giving police this right came into effect in December 2018. If a driver chooses not to comply, they can be charged with a Criminal Code offence and face the same consequences as exceeding the legal limit. Mandatory alcohol screenings are quick and painless. A trained officer will instruct the driver to give a roadside breath sample into an approved screening device. They can expect the test to take a few seconds to conduct. The results are returned right away. If the driver passes the test (and there are no other reasons to detain them), they will soon be on their way. Hubic said SGI will be posting tips throughout the month for alternatives to driving impaired. These include picking a designated driver or volunteering to be one for your group, calling or texting a loved one for a ride, and returning the favour when it’s your turn, taking a cab, bus, rideshare, or designated driving service, and, of course, staying the night. "There's never a good reason to drive impaired. So we want people to make sure that they are focusing and paying attention to the most important thing, and that's getting home safe."