The risks of driving impaired in British Columbia have residents facing some of the toughest regulations in the history of the province. That as the provincial government outlines the major changes to the financial scale, expands the amount of time you may be banned from driving and increases the levels of potential incarceration should anyone get behind the wheel in an intoxicated state.
The new regulations regarding impaired driving and speeding go into effect today and with them the introduction of a new category of impairment where those that range between 0.05 and 0.08 will receive an immediate, three-day driving ban and a $200 fine.
If a driver is caught twice in a five-year period they will face a seven-day ban and a $300 fine and the scale of punishment increases for those caught three times over five years, who will be given a 30-day ban and a $400 fine.
Recording a reading of over .08 or refusing to take a breathalyzer test will bring a 90-day driving ban and a $500 fine. Along with the driving ban and financial hit offenders will have their vehicles impounded for 30 days and could also face further criminal charges.
Changes are also in effect today for the provinces speeding laws. Driving over the posted speed limits of the province will provide for harsher punishment. As of today, drivers who are caught doing more than 40 kilometres per hour over the posted speed limit will have their vehicles impounded for at least a week, and could be without their cars for as long as two months should they accrue more speeding offences.
Driving too fast could also find motorists facing escalating penalties, which could include traffic fines and/or increased insurance premiums.
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