Consequences for drivers below the legal limit

If you asked most Saskatchewan drivers what the "legal limit" is for drinking and driving, they would say .08 – but they’d be only partly right.

It’s true that federal law has set the limit for blood alcohol content (BAC) at .08, which means a driver is considered impaired if they have over 80 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood. But Saskatchewan, like many other provinces, has additional impaired driving laws that affect drivers caught with a BAC between .04 and .08.

"Most drivers think they are fine if they stay below .08," says Phyllis Glowatsky, SGI’s Manager of Driver Programs. "But they don’t realize that they could face consequences for having a BAC of even half that amount."

Experienced drivers caught with a BAC exceeding .04 will automatically face the following consequences:

1st occurrence: 24-hour driver’s licence suspension

2nd occurrence: 24-hour driver’s licence suspension and a requirement to take a Driving Without Impairment (DWI) course within 90 days

Subsequent occurrences within five years: 90-day driver’s licence suspension and a requirement to complete addiction screening and an education or recovery program prior to licence reinstatement

The consequences are more severe for probationary drivers. Probationary drivers are, for the most part, new drivers with less than two years of driving experience. Probationary drivers caught with any amount of alcohol in their blood, even if it is below .04 BAC, will automatically face the following licence suspensions:

First occurrence: 30-day driver’s licence suspension and a requirement to take a DWI course within 90 days

Subsequent occurrences: 90-day driver’s licence suspension as well as mandatory addiction screening and completion of a prescribed education or recovery program prior to licence reinstatement

"Even just having a couple of drinks could mean losing your licence," warns Glowatsky. "If you’re going to drink, don’t drive. SGI encourages everyone to always plan a safe ride home."

Contact:

Phyllis Glowatsky
Manager, Driver Programs
SGI
Regina
(306) 775-6180

Consequences for drivers below the legal limit
If you asked most Saskatchewan drivers what the "legal limit" is for drinking and driving, they would say .08 – but they’d be only partly right.

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