October 19, 2006

With the exception of Newfoundland and Labrador,
Atlantic Provinces do very poorly in MADD Canada’s  
Rating the Provinces and Territories:  The 2006 Report Card

Halifax, Nova Scotia -- Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Canada released its comprehensive study on provincial and territorial impaired driving laws today. Newfoundland and Labrador scored a very good grade of B-.  As for the other three provinces, they graded D and D+.

“The Maritime Provinces certainly need to take a good, hard look at the legislation being passed in Newfoundland and in jurisdictions west of here,” says Susan MacAskill, MADD Canada’s Atlantic Chapters Manager. “We are very disappointed with P.E.I., New Brunswick and the government here in Nova Scotia. There are many examples of effective impaired driving legislation in Canada. We just need governments with the focus and political will to fight drinking and driving and to make our roads safer.”

“Really, with the Maritime Provinces grades in this report card, it’s back to school for these laggards,” says Mrs. MacAskill.

In the document Rating the Provinces and Territories: The 2006 Report Card, MADD Canada presents five core elements as being essential in provincial and territorial efforts to reduce impaired driving:

• a comprehensive graduated licensing program for all new drivers, including express police powers to enforce it;
• a .00% BAC limit for all drivers under 21 or with less than five years driving experience;
• express police powers to stop vehicles, establish sobriety checkpoints, and demand field sobriety testing from suspected alcohol and/or drug impaired drivers;
• strengthening the existing short-term roadside licence suspension programs for drivers with BACs of .05% or higher, to include a 7-14 day licence suspension, a $150–$300 licence reinstatement fee, the recording of the suspension on the driver’s record, and mandatory remedial measures for repeat violations; and
• mandatory alcohol interlock, vehicle impoundment and forfeiture, and remedial programs.

Manitoba scored the highest grade in the study with an A -. Manitoba was lauded for its introduction of new legislative reforms including a five-year, zero-BAC for new drivers. 

Full details of RTP 2006, including a podcast interview with study co-author Professor Robert Solomon can be found on www.madd.ca.

For more information, visit www.madd.ca, or call:

Susan MacAskill
MADD Canada’s Atlantic Chapters Manager  1-866-798-6233

Andrew Murie, MADD Canada’s CEO
1-800-665-6233, ext. 224

Also see:

For a complete listing of media releases and resource documents, see the Rating the Provinces web page.