POLICE ASSOCIATION OF NOVA SCOTIA 85 CANADA’S IMPAIRED DRIVING RECORD IS POOR BY INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS While a great deal of work remains to be done at the federal level to reduce impaired driving, MADD Canada believes the provinces and territories should not wait for federal Criminal Code amendments when they have the legislative power to make significant road safety improvements in their own jurisdictions. 2015 Provincial and Territorial Legislative Review The 2015 Provincial and Territorial Legislative Reviewis the sixth comprehensive assessment that MADD Canada has undertaken and published since 2000. (Previous versions were called Rating the Provinces.) Its goal is to provide the provinces and territories with information on realistic and effective measures that will reduce impaired driving in their jurisdictions. MADD Canada supports the following impaired driving countermeasures as provincial/territorial best practices to reduce impaired driving • A comprehensive three-year graduated licensing program for all new drivers, which includes: express police enforcement powers; passenger, nighttime and highway restrictions; a ban on using any electronic devices; and mandatory roadside administrative licence suspensions (ALSs) for breaching the program conditions. • A .00% BAC limit for all drivers under 21 or with less than five years driving experience, with express police enforcement powers and mandatory roadside ALSs for breaching the program. • A prohibition on being positive for any illicit psychoactive drug for all drivers under 21 or with less than five years driving experience. The legislation should include express statutory police enforcement powers and mandatory roadside ALSs for breaching the prohibition. • A seven-day .05% ALS and vehicle impoundment program, which includes a $150-$300 licence reinstatement fee and the recording the suspensions on the driver’s record. Drivers with repeat infringements within five years should be subject to remedial programs and escalating suspensions and vehicle impoundment sanctions • A parallel ALS and vehicle impoundment program for: drivers whose ability to drive, based on a standard field sobriety test or drug recognition evaluation, is reasonably believed to be impaired by drugs or a combination of drugs and alcohol; and drivers who refuse any lawfully demanded test. • A mandatory alcohol interlock program for all federal impaired driving offenders, which includes: reduced provincial licence suspensions to encourage participation; and escalating ALS and vehicle impoundment sanctions for repeat violations. These drivers should also be subject to lengthy extensions of their interlock orders. • Administrative vehicle impoundments for uninsured, unlicensed, suspended, prohibited, continued ...
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