(Quebec) CAA-Quebec is asking Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault to lower the alcohol limit allowed while driving to 0.05 as part of her road safety bill.
“The effects in other provinces where this rule has been applied for many years have been convincing. There have been improvements in road safety, and reductions in deaths. We are there,” said Sophie Gagnon, vice-president of public affairs for the organization, on Tuesday. She participated in the study of the project of Mme Guilbault, which aims to increase the number of photo radars on the roads and lower the speed limit to 30 km/h near schools.
CAA-Quebec says it is “disappointed” to note that “at a time when we aim to reduce deaths and injuries attributable to road accidents”, the bill does not fully address the issue of alcohol behind the wheel, a “scourge that destroys lives”.
Mme Gagnon wants the government to introduce administrative sanctions when a driver is caught with an alcohol level between 50 mg/100 ml and 80 mg/100 ml.
She puts forward several arguments:
- Quebec is the only Canadian province where such sanctions are not applied, although they have undeniably proven their effectiveness;
- According to an opinion from the National Institute of Public Health of Quebec, the results of the scientific literature show that the driver’s performance in his various driving tasks is significantly affected from a blood alcohol level of 50 mg/100 ml;
- All the literature confirms that lowering the blood alcohol limit permitted in the Highway Safety Code for driving a motor vehicle to 50 mg/100 ml is an effective measure to prevent collisions and save Lives.
One glass too many
The opposition parties seemed open to this proposal. The liberal Monsef Derraji affirmed that we cannot “respond in a fairly direct way to road safety today” without “talking about drunk driving”.
Solidarity activist Étienne Grandmont wondered if Quebec was not “behind” compared to other Canadian provinces, and a majority of European countries.
For CAA-Quebec, administrative sanctions, “fines or temporary suspensions of the use of a vehicle” would have an “important” educational effect. “It can affect categories of people who will be forever sensitized,” said M.me Gagnon.
Former police officer André Durocher, now with CAA-Quebec, argued that mentalities have changed, and that this measure would make it possible to reach “the mass” of at-fault drivers.
“We think this measure is important because it would raise a red flag for the person who takes that little glass of wine too many during a meal. We’re really going to hit the masses. Cases of severe intoxication, yes, there are some, but it is nothing compared to the number of people whose capacities are slightly reduced,” he said.