MADD Canada urges P.E.I. to bring in immediate licence suspensions for impaired drivers

The CEO of MADD Canada says the Prince Edward Island government should move to a more efficient way of dealing with impaired drivers.

Steve Sullivan is advocating for immediate roadside driver's licence suspensions, a system that's already in place in provinces such as New Brunswick, Alberta and British Columbia. 

"Drivers are all processed right on the roadside, so instead of taking three to four hours to process an impaired driving case, an officer can do it in 30 to 40 minutes," Sullivan said.

"That means that an officer can be back out on the road really quickly."

No criminal charges

The idea of roadside suspensions first came up in the P.E.I. Legislature last November, when then-backbench Progressive Conservative MLA Robin Croucher called for harsher and more immediate penalties for impaired driving. 

One big change under the proposed approach is that impaired drivers won't be charged with a criminal offence if they blow over the legal alcohol limit of 0.08 on a roadside breath test, as is currently the case for offenders on P.E.I. 

In addition to an immediate driving suspension, other administrative penalties like the ignition interlock system and remedial programs would also be imposed.

"It's not waiting a few months to see what happens down the road," Sullivan said. "[It will be] all the same sanctions, except for that criminal record."

British Columbia introduced a similar law in 2010, which Sullivan said brought savings to that province.

"They saw immediate savings for the criminal justice process, they saw immediate savings in police resources and more effective use of their police officers, so officers can get back out there and actually catch more impaired drivers."

He said the changes have lead to fewer impaired driving-related collisions in B.C.

"That immediacy of those sanctions are really important in trying to change people's behaviour, and it's been shown to be effective in so many ways."

Manitoba has also introduced immediate roadside suspensions, which Sullivan said has "doubled the number of drivers that they've gotten off the road" in the Winnipeg area. 

A trifecta of deterrence

Sullivan said the success of the program in other provinces is due to a combination of three things — police being able to do more work, sanctions like driving prohibitions, and non-criminal punishments.

He said the immediacy of the sanctions make them more effective.

"We do know that in terms of a deterrence aspect, immediate sanctions are much more effective than waiting months down the road to have those sanctions imposed," he said.  

"During that period the person may have a short-term licence suspension, but you know a lot of people drive after and that's not a positive thing." 

A big part of deterrence, said Sullivan, is making people think twice about driving while impaired. 

"What deters people isn't necessarily the sanction," he said. "What impacts people's behaviour is the perception of being caught."

'We're encouraged'

MADD Canada has been in talks with the province to support the move to immediate roadside suspensions since Croucher pitched the idea last year. 

"Obviously I don't speak for the government, but we were encouraged that they were considering this seriously," Sullivan said. 

"My sense is that it was a positive conversation, I was encouraged by their interest in it, but I don't know if we're going to see something this legislative session."

P.E.I.'s Department of Justice and Public Safety said in an emailed statement that addressing impaired drivers on the Island is a "top priority."

"P.E.I. is home to some of the most strict impaired driving laws in the country, with the province being the only jurisdiction that typically includes custody with a first impaired driving charge," the statement reads.

The statement added that the government has made investments into the RCMP's traffic unit and is continuing to train police officers to detect impaired drivers.

Other efforts include increasing sobriety checkpoints and investments into public awareness campaigns.