B.C. to impose Canada’s strictest impaired-driving penalties

British Columbia has announced it intends to introduce the country’s most severe penalties for impaired driving.
The government said it expects changes to the Motor Vehicle Act (MVA) to be implemented in Fall 2010.
Under the proposed new legislation, drivers who provide a failing breath sample above 0.08% BAC, or drivers who refuse to provide a breath sample at the side of the road, will face an immediate 90-day driving ban and a $500 fine.
Additionally, the vehicle will be impounded for 30 days and the driver could face criminal charges.
Officers will be able to issue the 90-day ban roadside, without having to bring the driver to the station for a full breath analysis.
Drivers who fall in the “warn range” (0.05-0.08% BAC) once in a five-year period will face a three-day driving ban and a $200 fine.
The second offence will be a seven-day ban and a $300 fine. The third offence will be a 30-day ban and a $400 fine.
The provincial goal is to reduce alcohol-impaired driving fatalities by 35% at the end of 2013.