Wanting to dive deeper into the world of impaired driving and what sort of substances drivers are choosing to use before getting behind the wheel, SGI has put forward an RFP. 

The Request For Proposal is open until the end of the month and details that the Crown corporation is looking to acquire a team of researchers who would spend about five months gathering data from 1,500 to 2,000 Saskatchewan residents and people traveling through our province. 

"People will be pulled over but will be asked if they want to participate. The police will be involved but only in directing traffic - they won't actually be conducting the research. There will be hired researchers who will be doing that work. Again it will be voluntary," explained Tyler McMurchy, Spokesperson for SGI. "Now if people do participate there will be a few questions they will be asked to answer. They will also be asked to provide a breath sample and a saliva swab."

Although SGI does get information from a number of resources already, McMurchy said it's about discovering certain characteristics and getting a better picture of this sometimes deadly act.

"It is true that SGI does get data regarding impaired driving from a number of sources from collisions, convictions, from charges but this will be a little bit different. This does add to that knowledge. This will involve drivers who may not have been involved in any incidents, may not have come in contact with the law, may not have been involved in a collision," said McMurchy.

Researchers are expected to be gathering information and samples between the months of May and September. Once they complete the work it will then be sorted and organized so SGI can use that data for future programs and initiatives to hopefully save more lives. 

"Advertising or awareness programs, community-based programming as well, our safety squad, for example, goes to different communities and talks about these issues. The information that we put out to people when it comes to traffic safety awareness I think would benefit from any additional insight we can get into the issue of impaired driving."

The RFP closes on March 28th, and McMurchy added that the hired team will begin planning shortly after. He notes that impaired driving continues to be the leading cause of fatal collisions on Saskatchewan roadways.