In the News

Family lauds B.C.'s tough new anti-drunk-driving laws
By Cassidy Olivier
The Province
April 28, 2010

The family of a little girl killed by an alleged drunk driver is calling the government's introduction Tuesday of new impaired-driving laws a bold step in the right direction in the fight against drunk driving.
Under the tough new laws, which are expected to come into effect this fall, drivers who blow above .08 or refuse to provide a breath sample will face an immediate 90-day driving ban and a $500 fine.

They will also have their vehicle impounded for 30 days and face mandatory completion of the Responsible Driver Program, which will cost them $880.

Police will also have the power to slap drivers caught in the "warn range" — between 0.05 and 0.08 per cent blood alcohol level — with an immediate, three-day driving ban as well as a $200 fine.

This will increase to a seven-day ban and $300 fine if caught a second time, and a 30-day ban and $400 fine if caught a third time.

Further, drivers who fail or blow three times within five years in the warn range, will have to complete the Responsible Driver Program, as well as use an ignition interlock device — which tests their breath for alcohol — in their car for a year. The cost of the interlock device is about $1,420.

The laws, described by the provincial government as the toughest in Canada, come as a reward of sorts for Delta couple Michael and Laurel Middelaer, who've worked tirelessly to amend the province's drunk-driving legislation ever since losing their daughter, Alexa, two years ago. The four-and-a-half-year-old was struck and killed in May 2008 while feeding a horse with her aunt Daphne at the side of a rural road in Delta.

"This is an excellent first step and it will really arm police with the tools that they need to create an incredible deterrence," said Laurel. "It's a small step, but I think it is really impressive that this government is targeting it."

Solicitor-General Mike de Jong said the intent of the laws is simple: to reduce the body count on B.C. roadways due to impaired driving. Despite increased enforcement and awareness campaigns, he said, recent trends show drunk driving is on the rise across the province.

"That trend is unacceptable and that's why we're bringing in these new laws — to get impaired drivers off the road with clear, swift and severe penalties," said de Jong.

According to a recent ICBC report, the annual number of alcohol-related driving fatalities in the province is around 120. And according to the RCMP, 30 to 40 per cent of road fatalities involve alcohol.

Andrew Murie, the chief executive officer for Mothers Against Drunk Driving Canada, said his organization is thrilled with the pending legislation.

"It is more than just a step; B.C. took a quantum leap today."

RCMP Insp. Mike Diack, who heads E Division's Traffic Services, said he was confident the new roadside measures will help reduce the number of alcohol-related deaths in the province.

Under existing laws, officers only have the power to issue a 24-hour roadside suspension to drivers who've blown over .08, regardless of how many times they've been caught.

"From what I can see, it's swift, it's decisive, it's immediate and it will help us deal with these first-time offenders in a very effective manner rather than go through criminal courts," he said.