By Taylor MacPherson

P.A. police welcome new impaired driving laws

Nov 1, 2016 | 12:00 PM

Prince Albert Police were happy to hear about the new impaired driving legislation introduced by provincial officials yesterday.

P.A. Police Chief Troy Cooper called impaired and distracted driving “a challenge for our region,” and said he was excited to see additional support given to policing through the new rules.

The new legislation means a three-day vehicle impoundment for all drivers whose blood-alcohol content is between 0.04 and 0.08. Also introduced were zero-tolerance 60-day licence suspensions for first offenders under the age of 21 found with any alcohol in their bloodstream (up from the previous age of 19), and longer periods of ignition interlock for repeat offenders. 

If approved, the changes will come into effect Jan 1.

Cooper said similar regulations, such as mandatory vehicle seizures and licence suspensions are successful in other provinces.

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“It means that police can suspend drivers’ licences and seize vehicles a little more easily,” he said. “That’s had a huge impact in British Columbia on driving down impaired driving deaths and injury.”

Cooper noted the changes may require additional training to bring officers up to speed on the regulations.

“Any change requires some training,” he said. “Sometimes legislation can be quite complicated, especially when it comes to seizing of vehicles.”

“But we know that we’re also working with SGI to make things a little more streamlined,” Cooper said. According to Cooper, implementing the “B.C. model” will mean shorter impaired driving investigations, allowing officers more time for proactive policing.

In addition to the stronger impaired driving laws, the province also introduced legislation to reduce distracted driving. The new rules changes the offence from “using” a mobile device while driving to “holding, viewing, using or manipulating” a mobile device. This closes a loophole which allowed drivers to legally check their phones while behind the wheel.

Cooper said the distracted driving legislation will likely be the most beneficial in the short-term, and noted the new regulation makes the laws around cellphone use more clear for drivers and police.

The province has promised further changes to reduce impaired driving rates, which will likely also be based on the B.C. model. Cooper said he believes the model will be successful, and hopes to see regulation allowing for longer vehicle seizures and licence suspensions for impaired drivers, as well as more dedicated traffic enforcement.

“We know that this is just the beginning,” Cooper said. “We’ve got their commitment that they’re going to continue to look at the issue and continue to provide support for policing.”

Saskatchewan has the highest per-capita rate of impaired driving fatalities of any province in Canada. According to preliminary data from SGI, there were nearly 1,200 impaired driving collisions in the province last year, killing 52 and injuring nearly 600 others. Forty-four per cent of all traffic fatalities in Saskatchewan are alcohol-related.

Taylor.macpherson@jpbg.ca

@TMacPhersonNews