New drinking-driving rules may be in for some tweaking

VICTORIA (NEWS1130) – Solicitor General Rich Coleman says he’s pondering changes to BC’s tough new drinking and driving rules. They’ve only been in place since September, but bars and restaurants say business has dried up since stiffer penalties were introduced.

Coleman thinks the penalties for drinking and driving are correct, but a review is in order. “Is there a piece of this law that needs to be adjusted to address issues of fairness, because we don’t know yet, quite frankly. We’re going to collect that information over the next month or so because the reality is we always said that after a couple of months we’d review this to see how it was working,” he says.

A campaign to clarify the new penalties is being developed, in the meantime. 

Reaction mixed to effects of stiffer penalties

Mothers Against Drunk Driving doesn’t have much to say about Coleman’s announcement, but the group’s Manon Groulx says the penalties have their support.

“We know they make our roads safer. They save lives by getting impaired drivers off the road quickly,” she believes, adding that the organization is behind any review that strengthens the laws.

On the other hand, the head of the Food and Restaurant Services Association says police should be a little more “gentle” with people who just want to have a glass of wine or two. Ian Tostensen thinks chronic drunks and drivers who blow above .08 need to be targetted, not those who just want to go out for a beer.

“Double digit declines. People are staying home. They’re scared. They don’t understand what .05 is,” he says, describing the situation for the restaurant industry.

And he says he’d like to see the new penalties scrapped altogether. “Yeah. I think where we came from was good, providing that we do a better job in industry and government on going after the problem drinkers.”