
MADD Canada urges P.E.I. to bring in immediate licence suspensions for impaired drivers
CBC
The CEO of MADD Canada says the Prince Edward Island government should move to a more efficient way of dealing with impaired drivers.
Steve Sullivan is advocating for immediate roadside driver's licence suspensions, a system that's already in place in provinces such as New Brunswick, Alberta and British Columbia.
"Drivers are all processed right on the roadside, so instead of taking three to four hours to process an impaired driving case, an officer can do it in 30 to 40 minutes," Sullivan said.
"That means that an officer can be back out on the road really quickly."
The idea of roadside suspensions first came up in the P.E.I. Legislature last November, when then-backbench Progressive Conservative MLA Robin Croucher called for harsher and more immediate penalties for impaired driving.
One big change under the proposed approach is that impaired drivers won't be charged with a criminal offence if they blow over the legal alcohol limit of 0.08 on a roadside breath test, as is currently the case for offenders on P.E.I.
In addition to an immediate driving suspension, other administrative penalties like the ignition interlock system and remedial programs would also be imposed.
"It's not waiting a few months to see what happens down the road," Sullivan said. "[It will be] all the same sanctions, except for that criminal record."
British Columbia introduced a similar law in 2010, which Sullivan said brought savings to that province.
"They saw immediate savings for the criminal justice process, they saw immediate savings in police resources and more effective use of their police officers, so officers can get back out there and actually catch more impaired drivers."
He said the changes have lead to fewer impaired driving-related collisions in B.C.
"That immediacy of those sanctions are really important in trying to change people's behaviour, and it's been shown to be effective in so many ways."
Manitoba has also introduced immediate roadside suspensions, which Sullivan said has "doubled the number of drivers that they've gotten off the road" in the Winnipeg area.
Sullivan said the success of the program in other provinces is due to a combination of three things — police being able to do more work, sanctions like driving prohibitions, and non-criminal punishments.