Impaired driving penalties becoming stricter

The penalties for impaired driving in P.E.I. are getting tougher.

Starting today, amendments to the province’s Highway Traffic Act extend vehicle impoundments, increase some ignition interlock terms, add license suspensions to a driving record, and stricter rules for younger drivers.

“Prince Edward Island has the highest conviction rate and the harshest punishments for impaired drivers in Canada, but there is always more we can do as a province to get to zero impaired driving incidents, zero injuries and zero collisions,” Transportation Paula Biggar said. “These changes are another step forward in our government’s commitment to improving safety on Island roads through education, enforcement, highway design, and legislation.”

Changes to the act will allow vehicle impoundments for roadside driving suspensions and for impaired driving convictions as well as increase the minimum mandatory ignition interlock term for those convicted of a second impaired driving offence to three years and five years, based on blood alcohol levels. The new rules allow shortterm roadside driver license suspensions to be added to a driver’s abstract and extend the zero-tolerance period for blood alcohol so that it applies to all new graduated licenced drivers 22 years of age and under. The amendments to the Highway Traffic Act were developed in consultation with MADD Canada and the Prince Edward Island Association of Chiefs of Police. They also draw on the work of the province’s 2013 impaired driving summit. “MADD Canada welcomes the enactment of these important new impaired driving measures,” said MADD Canada Chief Executive Officer Andrew Murie. “Extended BAC restrictions for young drivers, vehicle impoundments, and the other measures coming into effect will help to reduce impaired driving, and will save lives and prevent injuries.”

For more information visit: www.princeedwardisland.ca/ impaireddriving.