Impaired Driving (March 8)
Mr. Kang: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Alberta is at a crisis point in the battle against impaired driving, and Mothers Against Drunk Driving have called repeatedly for the government to step up to the plate.
My question is to the Minister of Transportation. Will you commit to lowering the acceptable blood-alcohol content for operating a vehicle to 0.5?
Mr. Ouellette: Mr. Speaker, impaired driving is a crime, and it’s treated as such in this province. Our message has always been clear: don’t drink and drive, or sooner or later we’re going to get you. We’re going to keep our policemen on the roads. We’re going to keep doing everything we possibly can to catch the people that drink and drive and keep them off the roads.
The Speaker: The hon. member.
Mr. Kang: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Minister, your message is not working. In 2007 there was a 19 per cent increase in the rate of impaired driving, and 2008 brought a 40 per cent increase. That’s pitiful. Will the Minister of Transportation be forecasting doubledigit increases to the rate of impaired driving again in 2009?
Mr. Ouellette: Mr. Speaker, we’ve been expanding our program. We brought in last year as part of our program a regulation that now we also convict people that are driving under any type of drugs, whether it’s prescription drugs or anything else. Under our graduated driver’s licence for all new drivers there’s absolutely zero tolerance; they can’t have any type of alcohol in their system. We plan on keeping the pressure on.
The Speaker: The hon. member.
Mr. Kang: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We are not talking about GDL drivers; we are talking about drivers who already have the licences. Twenty two per cent of drivers who suffered a fatal crash in 2008 had consumed alcohol prior to the accident. The government’s inaction is killing people. Why doesn’t the minister amend the Traffic Safety Act to increase the current 24-hour suspension to a week-long penalty?
Mr. Ouellette: Mr. Speaker, as I said earlier, we look at the whole system. We’re going to make sure that Justice does their part of it, that the Solicitor General does their part of it, and we’re doing our utmost to keep drivers safe in Alberta.
Alberta Hansard, March 8, 2010