MADD Canada urges P.E.I. to bring in immediate licence suspensions for impaired drivers

Ryan McKellop · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 26, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

The CEO of MADD Canada says the Prince Edward Island government should determination to a much efficient way of dealing with impaired drivers.

Steve Sullivan is advocating for contiguous roadside driver's licence suspensions, a strategy that's already successful spot successful provinces specified arsenic New Brunswick, Alberta and British Columbia. 

"Drivers are each processed close connected the roadside, truthful alternatively of taking 3 to 4 hours to process an impaired driving case, an serviceman tin bash it successful 30 to 40 minutes," Sullivan said.

"That means that an serviceman tin beryllium backmost retired connected the roadworthy truly quickly."

No transgression charges

The thought of roadside suspensions archetypal came up successful the P.E.I. Legislature past November, erstwhile then-backbench Progressive Conservative MLA Robin Croucher called for harsher and much contiguous penalties for impaired driving. 

One large alteration nether the proposed approach is that impaired drivers won't beryllium charged with a transgression offence if they stroke implicit the ineligible intoxicant bounds of 0.08 connected a roadside enactment test, arsenic is presently the lawsuit for offenders on P.E.I. 

In summation to an contiguous driving suspension, different administrative penalties similar the ignition interlock strategy and remedial programs would besides beryllium imposed.

"It's not waiting a fewer months to spot what happens down the road," Sullivan said. "[It volition be] each the aforesaid sanctions, but for that transgression record."

British Columbia introduced a akin law in 2010, which Sullivan said brought savings to that province.

"They saw contiguous savings for the transgression justness process, they saw contiguous savings successful constabulary resources and much effectual usage of their constabulary officers, truthful officers tin get backmost retired determination and actually drawback much impaired drivers."

He said the changes have lead to fewer impaired driving-related collisions successful B.C.

"That immediacy of those sanctions are truly important successful trying to alteration people's behaviour, and it's been shown to beryllium effectual successful truthful galore ways."

Manitoba has besides introduced immediate roadside suspensions, which Sullivan said has "doubled the fig of drivers that they've gotten disconnected the road" successful the Winnipeg area. 

A trifecta of deterrence

Sullivan said the occurrence of the programme successful different provinces is owed to a operation of 3 things — constabulary being capable to bash much work, sanctions like driving prohibitions, and non-criminal punishments.

He said the immediacy of the sanctions marque them much effective.

"We bash cognize that successful presumption of a deterrence aspect, contiguous sanctions are overmuch much effectual than waiting months down the roadworthy to person those sanctions imposed," helium said.  

"During that period the idiosyncratic whitethorn person a short-term licence suspension, but you cognize a batch of radical thrust aft and that's not a affirmative thing." 

A large portion of deterrence, said Sullivan, is making radical deliberation doubly astir driving portion impaired. 

"What deters radical isn't needfully the sanction," helium said. "What impacts people's behaviour is the cognition of being caught."

'We're encouraged'

MADD Canada has been successful talks with the state to enactment the determination to contiguous roadside suspensions since Croucher pitched the thought past year. 

"Obviously I don't talk for the government, but we were encouraged that they were considering this seriously," Sullivan said. 

"My consciousness is that it was a affirmative conversation, I was encouraged by their involvement successful it, but I don't cognize if we're going to spot thing this legislative session."

P.E.I.'s Department of Justice and Public Safety said successful an emailed statement that addressing impaired drivers connected the Island is simply a "top priority."

"P.E.I. is location to immoderate of the astir strict impaired driving laws successful the country, with the state being the lone jurisdiction that typically includes custody with a archetypal impaired driving charge," the connection reads.

The connection added that the authorities has made investments into the RCMP's postulation portion and is continuing to bid constabulary officers to observe impaired drivers.

Other efforts see expanding sobriety checkpoints and investments into nationalist consciousness campaigns.