Blow or no go
By Jeremy Loome
Edmonton Sun
June 18, 2008

Alberta has been slow to adopt measures that would protect citizens from drunk drivers, says a veteran Mountie. But he hopes a new rule to keep repeat offenders off the street is the start of a change in attitudes.

Cpl. Chris Little will tell you it never goes away, the haunting feeling that sets in after informing someone their family member has been killed by a drunk driver.

But moves like the latest measure - mandatory breath screening for repeat drunk drivers and serious first-time offenders - leave him optimistic maybe better days are ahead.

"Certainly anything that deters impaired drivers on the road is a good thing," he said.

"I think that in some areas we're slow. I have numerous years in an enforcement background and I think it's long overdue. I think legislators have to take a strong stance when it comes to impaired driving, because of the carnage on the road."

In fact, Ontario adopted mandatory ignition interlock devices, which require a clean breath check before a car will start, six years ago.

DEVICES WERE VOLUNTARY

Alberta has made the devices voluntary for people who prefer to get their licence back after three months of a one-year suspension.

Now, whether they apply for it or not, those convicted of a second drunk driving offence or of blowing double the legal limit of .08, will be forced to install interlock, pass the test repeatedly - including while driving - and pay the $105 monthly rental fee for the unit, as well as installation and removal costs.

If they try to drive without passing the test, the vehicle won't start.

If they start the car, then drink, then fail the test, it will turn the car's horn on permanently until professionally disabled, effectively turning the car into a moving siren.

It may be difficult for politicians to understand the gravity of the problem because they aren't the ones attending accident scenes or informing families, said Little.

"There'd be a measure of insulation from the enforcement aspect and I think sometimes there's a detachment from that, and sometimes we get desensitized to things we read about every day in the papers.

"But anything like that where legislators are taking some kind of action is a positive step.

"My own personal opinion is there's a number of aggressive steps they could take."

That could include seizing vehicles, he said, and other more onerous penalties like mandatory jail terms for first-time offenders and lifetime suspensions for repeat drunks.

'LOST FAR TOO MANY LIVES'

"The time is now to attack these problems," he said. "We've lost far too many lives on Alberta's roadways and across the country."

Little said the images of grieving families will live with him long after he hangs up his shield.

"Even to go to these scenes and see the carnage, it's a life-altering experience, there's no doubt about it."

Transportation Minister Luke Ouellette said the government will never be able to prevent suspended drivers from hitting the pavement in someone else's vehicle.

But at least they will no longer be able to drive in their own vehicle while drunk. And he said the target of double the legal limit may also be lowered eventually.

"Basically we had to draw a line in the sand, we had to start somewhere," he said. "It doesn't matter what you do with laws. If people don't use their head, if you've got idiots that figure out a way to beat the system and get behind the wheel, no matter what we do we can't fix that.

"But we felt we had to start somewhere to get people to educate themselves on how long alcohol stays in their system and that sort of thing."