Is it illegal to lie about alcohol consumption at a ride check program? (Canada)
<p>Suppose I have a drink, then drive home after an hour. If I get stopped at a police ride check, I usually say I have not consumed any alcohol, because I don't want to take a breathalyzer test or risk the small chance of blowing just over the limit. What crimes, if any, am I committing by lying to the police in this case? What are the punishments? Is this crime often prosecuted? I'm specifically wondering about Canada.</p>
<p><em>Note</em>: Drunk driving is obviously bad, and I don't do it. This question is not about &quot;how to get away with drunk driving&quot;, but rather about the consequences of lying to police about having one or two drinks, which I assume many people do.</p>

<h2 id="youll-get-caught-in-the-lie-xcmx">You’ll get caught in the lie</h2>
<p>Since 2018, Canada has had <a href="https://madd.ca/pages/impaired-driving/public-policy-initiatives/random-breath-testing/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">mandatory alcohol screening</a> which means the police can demand a breath test from anyone they have stopped irrespective of if they suspect they have been drinking or not.</p>
<p>Now, while there are no legal consequences for lying to a police officer in this way (because it does not rise to <a href="http://criminalnotebook.ca/index.php/Obstructing_Justice_(Offence)" rel="nofollow noreferrer">obstruction of justice</a> or <a href="http://criminalnotebook.ca/index.php/Obstruction_of_a_Peace_Officer_(Offence)" rel="nofollow noreferrer">obstruction of a peace officer</a>), human nature being what it is, doing so and being caught is likely to cause the officer to suspect your motives and might prolong the traffic stop. Since there isn’t a vehicle anywhere that can’t be defected for something if you look hard enough, you might not want that.</p>

driving alcohol perjury statement