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Province gets low grade for impaired driving laws
Telegraph-Journal
December 3, 2009

dedicated to keeping drunk drivers off the road has scored the province second-last in developing effective legislation to address impaired driving in Canada.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving Canada released its 2009 report card on Wednesday, placing New Brunswick ahead of only Nunavut in its efforts to curtail drunk driving.

New Brunswick's ranking remains unchanged from the organization's last report released in 2006, despite the province's new zero tolerance alcohol limit for drivers under 21 years of age.

"New Brunswick has done a little bit, but the thing is a lot of provinces have done a lot," said Margaret Miller, national president of MADD Canada. "The bar has been raised.

"The province could have done even worse if it had done nothing at all."

Last year, MADD named New Brunswick as one of only two provinces "setting a good example" in developing effective legislation to address impaired driving in Canada.

New Brunswick has introduced late night driving restrictions for beginning drivers, required all drivers under 21 to have a blood alcohol count of .00 per cent, and authorized police to randomly stop vehicles to demand field sobriety tests from drivers suspected of having alcohol in their bodies.

But one year later, jurisdictions across the country have surpassed New Brunswick with stricter impaired driving legislation while the province remained stagnant, according to Miller.

Ontario's impaired driving reforms include a graduated licensing program, three-day administrative licence suspensions for drivers with blood alcohol concentrations over .05 per cent, a comprehensive vehicle impoundment program and a mandatory alcohol interlock program for all federal impaired driving offences.

Prince Edward Island is the first jurisdiction to enact a seven-day administrative licence suspension for drivers who register a blood alcohol content over .05 per cent or who refuse to provide a sample when asked.

Drivers who obtain a second or third seven-day suspension within two years are subject to 30 and 90-day licence suspensions, respectively.

New Brunswick received a D-plus grade, which was a marginal letter grade improvement after receiving a D three years ago. Ontario received an A-minus grade and P.E.I. a B.

The report card also calls for New Brunswick to broaden police powers to enforce the graduated licensing program and the zero tolerance alcohol legislation for young drivers.

Department of Public Safety Minister John Foran said Wednesday that he sees where New Brunswick can improve its impaired driving legislation, but found it difficult to understanding the organization's poor rating.

Foran added he has instructed his department to contact the MADD organization to schedule a meeting.

Also see...

Rating the Provinces