The year 2011 saw a 40 per cent drop in alcohol-related motor vehicle deaths in British Columbia, thanks to B.C.'s new roadside penalties, says premier Christy Clark.
Last year, the province adopted the toughest penalties against drinking and driving in Canada and they seem to be working, Clark said in a statement issued late last month. However, in December, B.C. Supreme Court Justice John Sigurdson ruled that B.C.'s practice of issuing immediate roadside prohibitions (IRPs) for those who blow more than .08 on a roadside screening device was unconstitutional.
Sigurdson gave the government until June 30 to adjust the rules, stating that an immediate declaration of invalidity of parts of the IRP may pose a danger to the public.
On Dec. 23, Attorney General Shirley Bond said she appreciated Justice Sigurdson's recognition of the "important public-safety purpose of the Immediate Roadside Prohibition program.
"We will work to introduce changes to the Motor Vehicle Act as soon as possible in the spring legislative session," Bond said. "We continue to analyze Justice Sigurdson's comprehensive decision to determine what those changes will consist of."
The statistics speak for themselves, Bond said. Forty-five more people are alive because police stopped impaired drivers and issued with IRPs, she noted.
"We will continue to use every responsible tool at our disposal to combat drinking and driving," she said.
Clark agreed.
"We set a goal to reduce impaired driving fatalities by 35 per cent by the end of 2013," she said. "Just one year later, preliminary data shows we are already exceeding that with a 40 per cent reduction."
From Oct. 1, 2010, to Sept. 30, 2011, the number of alcohol-related motor vehicle deaths across B.C. was 68, 45 fewer than the same time period the previous year.
"That's 45 more families in B.C. who have been able to keep a loved one safe from impaired drivers," Clark said.
Police across the province report having served 23,366 immediate roadside prohibitions, also known as IRPs, to drinking drivers, officials said.
