A Winnipeg-based privacy lawyer believes a MPI-funded roadside survey piggybacking on police roadside check stops raises privacy concerns.
The voluntary survey asks drivers about alcohol and drug consumption. Surveyors also ask for a breath sample and a saliva sample, which MPI said is sent to a drug lab to be tested, and eventually destroyed.
“Clearly the survey is set up to be voluntary,” said Andrew Buck, a privacy lawyer. “But then it becomes an issue of perception. And it’s not so much as to whether the person could’ve said ‘No’, but whether they felt they could’ve said, ‘No’.”
“We all do our best, but sometimes mistakes happen. What would happen if there was a privacy breach?” Buck asked.
A spokesperson with Manitoba Public Insurance says researchers with Prairie Research Associates, a group hired by MPI, are stationed outside the police check stop. Drivers are asked if they want to participate in a road safety survey, and if they’re not interested, there’s no issue.
“The driver, at that point, can say ‘No’, or they can agree to participate,” said Brian Smiley, a spokesperson with Manitoba Public Insurance.
“It’s important to note there are no identifiers attached to the saliva sample. No age, no license, none of that. It’s a very random, anonymous saliva test.”
MPI is trying to survey 1,200 people by the end of September to create a baseline data about drug alcohol use among drivers. Smiley said the survey will help MPI better understand the issue of impaired driving, and look for solutions on how to change behavior and perceptions moving forward.
“If the objective is to get baseline data about people who are using intoxicants, might there be another way that’s less privacy-invasive to do that?” Buck asked, referring to the saliva test.
MPI maintains Ontario and British Columbia also recently carried out similar roadside surveys recently.
