British Columbia Introduces Stricter Alcohol Penalties
On September 20, 2010, the CBC Television news was on the streets in British Columbia asking folk if they knew how many alcoholic drinks it took to reach a blood alcohol concentration of 0.05. No one knew. Some guessed it might be one drink, others thought perhaps two.
The fact of course is that there are so many different variables that it is impossible to say how many drinks it will take to reach a specific BAC. Of course, for years it’s been thought that it’s safe to consume one alcoholic drink an hour and stay under the Canadian Criminal Code level of 0.08, but even that rule of thumb is not assured.
This is very important to British Columbians who’s government has now enacted even stricter BAC levels for drivers in that Province of Canada. Although a driver may not be charged criminally (unless there are obvious signs of impairment, and then an Impaired Driving criminal charge could be laid), the Province is providing DUI penalties for those found to have a BAC of between 0.05 and 0.08 while driving.
The new British Columbia law provides for harsh penalties for those drivers which include an automatic 3 day suspension, a 3 day vehicle impoundment and $400.00 in fines and legal fees.
So if you’ve had a drink, how do you know if you’ve reached or exceeded the 0.05 BAC? Although it will cost you a wee bit of money, in the long run it could save you a ton of money in time, insurance premiums and legal fees by having your own personal breathalyzer.
British Columbia is also bringing in even tougher penalties above beyond Criminal Code penalties for drivers that are 0.08 and above. As of September 21, 2010, drivers in that Province that drive with a BAC of 0.08 or higher will:
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New member of MADD. I am so angry about the so called stricker penalties for a DUI. My ex husband has seven charges and he laughs about it. He got the ankle bracelet. I was with him in court because he thought he might be going to jail. I was hoping I would be driving home alone but no. What a damn joke. I want to start a petition stating any impaired driving charges gives you an automatic criminal record. Why the hell isn’t this law by now? how many people have to die? A little girl loses her life and the hell her parents have to go through everyday and she gets three months in jail. what the hell is this? An eye for an eye. I believe in capital punishment. You take a life then your life should be taken. At the very least take away any privileges to leave the country by car or plane for life. I am going to write every judge and court because I have alot of free time and am not going to stop writing until something happens. I want to know who is in charge of making these laws. I am going to be all over them once I find out. So please e-mail me with a contact who writes these laws. someone has to be responsible. Thank you.
tere64@shaw.ca
Your ex-husband has 7 charges? What are the charges? Was he convicted?
I’m not sure what you know about our Justice System or criminal laws, but when a person is charged with any criminal offense, they have a right to a trial. I hope you are not suggesting that people charged with offenses don’t have a right to have a trial to ensure the evidence against them is correct.
In Canada, if a person is convicted of Impaired Driving, they DO have a criminal record.
I’m not sure I totally understand your comment.
Since British Columbia introduced this law there has been a change of attitude towards drinking and driving. Some people drink less to stay below the limit, some walk and some use taxis. Overall the streets are safer and people are much more responsible. The majority of drinkers (all I know) accept this and honestly agree with it. I believe the authorities should look very carefully at how they implimented and enforced these laws (zero tolerance) and the postive results and apply them on other problem including the drug trade and car racing. I am sure the police approval ratings would increase dramatically and the public support would be overwhelming. Time for the legal system and police to wake up, what an opportunity.
the laws are absolute insanity!!!. i am a regular person that had a couple drinks at my families house and now my life is ruined cause of these new laws. i am very cautious and do not believe it is safe to drive impaired but if you cant have a drink or 2 a meal and head home there is something wrong with this society. I have a perfect driving record and full discount with icbc. Why does a country like costa rica have 10 times the drunk drivers on the road and barely a fraction of the accidents! they drive crazy too!
its because the powers that be are more concerned with leaving you in fear. when your in fear you can be controlled. BC is a testing ground for some of the stricktest most nazi germany laws, and all most citizens can say is we live in the best place on earth? it may be the best but it is among the most controlled.
I have now lost my job and soon will lose my house because of these new laws. i was not a threat to the road , nor to myself. I did not injure nor intend to harm anyone. If anyone cannot see that this is a police state more concerned with placing you in a state of fear. it was funny cause even the cop said i did not look impaired whatsoever. Then why the fuck would you ruin my life cause some little machine told you to. if i was the cops cousin i would have drove right through their little roadblock unscathed. just another story of the government ruining another young persons life.
and for all those people that think i deserve it, please continue filling your mind with mass media garble.
Did you notice her last name was Lahey? Coincidence?
MADD TROLLLS
After 800 Years the Province of British Columbia Destroys the Magna Carta.
BC’s Roadside Prohibitions send a hypocritical and political message. Let’s be honest, by decriminalizing impaired driving and undermining legal recourse, they have removed the Charter of Rights from a western democratic nation and revealed the primary purpose which is simply to collect another tax.
Unfortunately, it erodes respect, trust and confidence in Politicians, Police and the Legal system. It is eerily similar to 1930′s Europe when a politician named Adolf and friends – who were democratically elected – systematically used powers including police and new legislation to subvert and circumvent Rights and Liberties in Germany.
As George Santayana famously warned, those who do not learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat it.
This is just the beginning for BC, the concern is what comes next.
I got stopped two weeks ago by a New West cop hiding beside the pub I was in. He asked for a sample and I was given a three day suspension for a warn. .05-.08 Even though we stood and talked and he could clearly see that I was not impaired because I only had three beer. Now yesterday after leaving a different pub that I was at for only 45 minutes and two beer I was followed for two blocks and pulled over again. He doesn’t even ask where I came from just if I had anything to drink. So being honest as before I told him and blew again only this time I was way under. The difference being that this time I had eaten some food. This was at 6:30 after work and there was NO probable cause to pull me over at all so he ran my plate and used that to pull me over. So much for the just cause theory. My friends now call me a Heat Sink and have asked me to leave in front of them so I can clear the way and I have started just drinking pepsi because I need my licence and I don’t think I have any rights left so can’t take the chance anymore. Kind of funny that I go to the pub to do my football and hockey pools and drink pepsi and then pick up beer and go home to drink it. The pub gives me free drinks as a designated driver but I am getting the impression they wish I wouldn’t return because I am now bad for business. All this after a warning charge and three day suspension. I am 55 years old and a road star plus with an excellent record. Oh what a police state we have become with this new law. One only has to look at the pictures that MADD posts on their website to see that the damage that these car sustained were not from a guy driving after a few beers but from the chronic drunks that won’t stop even with this new law. This is clearly ALL about money and they are going to ruin many peoples lives in pursuit of it.
FORGET THE FOOD – it will not help. My husband and I were out in Victoria for a meal. He had a wine and I had a one drink at 6:30 pm waiting for the other couple. We then had a meal. He had 3 glasses of water, dessert and 2 coffees.
At 9:15 pm we were stopped at a check stop. He tested .05 and I tested OK. He weights 180 lbs and I am 107 lbs.
So eating or 2 1/2 hours make no difference!
THERE IS A BIG PROBLEM HERE