Bigger penalties for drinking drivers with kids in the car
New provincial legislation has been introduced that would hit drivers hard if they’ve been drinking and have kids in the car.
The penalty for exceeding the 0.04 alcohol limit while driving with kids under 16 will more than double. Motorists will incur an immediate seven-day driving suspension on a first offence. The same will go for anyone refusing a sobriety test.
Prince Albert Carlton MLA Joe Hargrave, the minister responsible for SGI, said while a recent drunk parent in the news wasn’t the impetus for the tougher laws, it did highlight the issue.
“Obviously there’s a little bit more of it [parent drunk drivers] than what we think,” Hargrave said. “That was an extreme case, it was early in the morning, excessive amount of alcohol …but what could have happened to those kids? The thought just scares me.”