Tougher BC impaired driving laws save lives: study

By

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – It seems stricter penalties for drinking and driving are making a big difference on BC roads.

A study out of UBC has found a drop in fatal crashes in BC, but lead author and ER doctor Jeffrey Brubacher says the there was no decline in Saskatchewan, Alberta, and Washington State where laws remained constant during the study period.

“With these laws being so effective, [I hope] we do continue them in British Columbia and it would my hope that other provinces introduced similar laws as well. With this many lives saved it’s really hard to argue against the new laws,” says Brubacher.

“For drinking and driving, there was a 52 per cent reduction in fatal crashes, and then we also found an eight per cent reduction in hospital admission and a seven per cent drop in ambulance calls,” he adds.

BC introduced new impaired driving laws, including immediate roadside penalties, licence suspensions, and impounding of vehicles in September, 2010.

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today