OAKVILLE, Ontario, March 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MADD Canada believes strong administrative sanctions in the .05% to .08% blood alcohol concentration (BAC) range are important to reduce impaired driving deaths and injuries. All provinces in Canada, except Quebec, have administrative licence suspensions at the .05% to .08% BAC level, which has enhanced road safety.
MADD Canada supports Bill 694, An Act to amend the Highway Safety Code to more effectively fight drinking and driving, which was introduced during the Semaine québécoise de la prévention de la conduite avec facultés affaiblies.
MADD Canada’s National President, Tanya Hansen Pratt, knows all too well the real cost of impaired driving. “My mother, Beryl, was killed by an impaired driver in 1999. There are thousands of families like mine, and many more Canadians who have suffered life altering injuries. Impaired driving remains a significantly concern for every level of government given the impact it has on individuals and families. The deaths and injuries caused by impaired driving are 100% preventable.”
Research has consistently shown that key driving related skills are impaired at an .05% blood BAC, and that these drivers have significantly higher relative risks of fatal crash than drivers with BACs of .00%. Provincial administrative licence suspension programs provide police with an effective tool to deal with drivers who are under the .08% Criminal Code limit, but who represent a danger on the roads.
Under the proposed law, drivers with BACs between .05% and .08% face an immediate short-term licence suspensions of 3 days. These suspensions are implemented at roadside, apply immediately and are not tied to any federal criminal charges, meaning that drivers will not have a criminal record.
Surveys have shown that the majority of Quebecers support sanctions at the .05% BAC level to reduce impaired driving and related crashes and injuries.
About MADD Canada
MADD Canada is a national, charitable organization that is committed to stopping impaired driving and supporting the victims of this violent crime. With volunteer-driven groups in more than 100 communities across Canada, MADD Canada aims to offer support services to victims, heighten awareness of the dangers of impaired driving, and save lives and prevent injuries on our roads. To learn more, visit www.madd.ca.
For more information, contact:
Marie Claude Morin, Quebec Regional Manager, 800-665-6233 ext. 233 or mmorin@madd.ca
