48 - North Shove News — Friday, Decernaber 3, 1999

openroad

rink

IMPAIRED driving
causes.over. twice as
many deaths in
Canada as homicide.

Of Canada’s 3,064 road

fatalitics in 1997, about 40%

_ were alcohoi-related. This
represents over 1,200 deaths,
compared*to 581 homicide
offences.

In 1997, police laid over”
84,000 charges for impaired
operation‘of.a vehicle. >

Impaired: driving. contin-.

be'a serious socia} and
which
impacts all Canadians.

During che 45th. annual
National Safe: Driving Week

- (Becember..1-7, 1999), the
Canada Safery Council wants
“to draw the attention of all
Canadians to the’ increased

severity of the penalties for.

impaired ‘drivers in’ Canada
passed by the federal goyern-

Oil & Fit agit

pre

Earlier this year, the
House of = Commons
Standing Committee on

‘Justice and. Human Rights

reviewed the Criminal Code
ions on impaired driving.
Despite the immense

human and financial cost of

impaired = driving (mast
Canadians have been affected

2+ by it directly or indirectly), it
had not been amended since -
_:1985.,

The Standing Committce
heard". recommendations
from many groups, including
enforcement’ agencies, insur-
ers, Victims, commercial and
ndustry stakeholders, and
safety organizations.

The Canada = Safety
Council told the committee
the old law left the public
vulnerable to . dangerous
repeat. offenders who either
were not canvicted because
of. loopholes and technicali-

ties, or who re-offend after,

esnenes 129.99 |
fal 2

155.00
"65.00
from 199 95
from "19.95

Driving fn Ge or More Gears?

eae Ber

inane eae $

be ead ot ave

filling their sentence.
After considering all the
input, the following amend-
he Criminal Code
of Canada, Bill C-82, were

ments to ¢t

introduced — by
the Committee
to the House of
Commons — on
June 9 where
they passed and
became law on

july 1, 1999:

@ Minimum..

fines for first-
tin impaired
driving convic-
tions doubled
from $300 to
$600.

B® The inandsto-
ry minimunt
driving prchib
ition increases
from three
months: to one
year for a first
offence, from: six
months tu two
years for a sec-

‘ond ‘offence aad
_ from one year to

three years on
subsequent
offences.
@ Maximum dri--.
ving ‘prohibition
periods | increase
from threz. years
to five years for.a
second offence
and. from three
ears to a lifetime.
nm: on a third.

‘To advertise your business or service here,
call Larry Verigin or Steve Tarp,

ing and criving k

offence.

@ The maximum penalty for
driving while prohibited rises
trom two years to five
imprisonment.

rs

B Judges may require the use
of an ignition interlock svs-
em as a condition of prohi-
bition where such a program
ailable.

At the time. of sentencing,
judges are now required to
consider a blood alcohol
fevel exceeding twice the
criminal offence’ level as’ an

aggravating factor.

A second piece of legisla-
tion, Bill C-87, which would
increase the maximum sen-
tence for impaired driving
causing death from the cur-
rent 14 years to fife impris-
onment is soon to be debar-
ed this session in the .House -
of Commons.

e

TIS the season to be. 5 jolly, but that does not mean an ext:a ‘drink with friends if you have to
drive anywhere afierwards. The RCMP. and local police forces will be checking drivers for.
drinking at roadside spot checks throughout the Lower Mainland this holiday and penalties
for drinking and driving increased this summer. Drivers now face a minimum one-ye:

_pension if convicted.

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