New impaired driving laws, in effect in New Brunswick as of Jan. 1, are designed to strengthen administrative penalties.
New rules allow for on-site, short-term license suspension, vehicle impoundment, and fees for blood alcohol content (BAC) above 0.05 or greater during a standard field sobriety test.
“The new rules also allow peace officers to give drivers who have a BAC of 0.08 or more, or who refuse a roadside screening test, an immediate roadside suspension or charge them under the Criminal Code,” according to the Government of New Brunswick.
Anyone found to be above 0.05 will receive an automatic 7-day license suspension, the vehicle could be impounded for at least three days.
If a BAC is above 0.08 or refuses to complete a roadside test, a license will be suspended for three months, the vehicle could be impounded for 30 to 60 days, an interlock device placed inside the vehicle, and impaired driving re-education.
New Brunswick RCMP Cpl. Matthew LeBlanc said this type of legislation did not exist in the province.
“With this, we’re now able to impound vehicles,” he said speaking with The Courier. “Before, it was just suspending the license for seven days.”
He said this is a valuable tool for helping reduce impaired driving.
“We’re trying to ding people. We’re trying to change their behavior,” he said in an interview. “This way, by bypassing the criminal code, it helps preserve a clean criminal record. It helps reeducate the drivers, and it also helps clear up some of the backlogs in the criminal court system.”
In 2023, 22 people were killed as a result of impaired driving, according to the New Brunswick RCMP.
“I think with this and having the onerous to have an interlock device in your car for 12 months following the incident and having to take a course is probably more … of rehabilitation than just punitive,” he said.
In November, first responders in Charlotte County launched the MADD campaign by tying red ribbons to their cars to show their commitment to never driving impaired.
According to RCMP Cpl. Jayson Hasen, in the last year within Charlotte County, there were two fatalities connected to impaired driving.
In the end, LeBlanc-Smith added the two most significant reasons people die on New Brunswick roads are impaired driving and not wearing their seatbelt.
“We really want to push the message that drive sober and buckle up, and we’re going to have a lot less deaths on our roads,” he said.
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