Alberta drivers, who already face stiffer administrative penalties for drunk driving, can now also get hit with longer licence suspensions for driving close to the legal limit.
On Saturday, new penalties kick in for those who are below the legal limit of .08 but above .05 - a level the province still considers unsafe.
Those who are pulled over and blow within that window in a roadside screening device will have their vehicles impounded for three days and their licences suspended for three days as well. Those penalties increase for subsequent offences.
The changes are the second of a two-stage modification to Alberta's traffic safety laws aimed at cracking down further on drunk drivers.
Penalties have already been boosted for those who drive over the legal limit, which is 80 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood - commonly known as .08.
Those who blow over .08 are still charged under the Criminal Code with impaired driving. But as of July 1, their vehicles are being impounded for three days and, more importantly, their driver's licences are being suspended indefinitely until their cases are resolved in the courts.
