New amendments target impaired drivers

SGI has furthered its commitment to making Saskatchewan roads safer through amendments to The Traffic Safety Act. The amendments come into force on July 1.

The most significant amendment strengthens the suspension for impaired drivers by establishing an immediate 24-hour licence suspension for drivers who fail a standard field sobriety test (SFST) due to alcohol or drug impairment. Drivers who refuse an SFST will also face immediate 24-hour suspension of their driver’s licence. Drivers can currently refuse the request for an SFST without any consequences.

The SFST is considered one of the best methods of identifying impaired drivers and it will help law enforcement to take more drinking drivers off the road. Alcohol is the leading contributing factor in traffic fatalities in this province.

The SFST, used at roadside to help officers determine whether a person’s ability to drive is impaired, includes the walk and turn test, one-leg stand test and a check for involuntary movement of the eyes.

Another significant amendment to the Act is imposing a 15-day driver’s licence suspension after a second .04 blood alcohol content (BAC) violation within a five-year period. (Currently, a driver with three .04 BAC violations in five years is subject to an additional 90-day licence suspension.)

Another amendment also dictates that drivers will be required to reduce their speed to 60 km/h when passing a tow truck stopped on a highway with its amber beacon flashing and rendering assistance to a disabled vehicle.

Contact:
Kim Hambleton
Supervisor, Communications
SGI
Regina
(306) 775-6907

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