Province aims to get tougher on drunk driving
Proposed amendments to Motor Vehicle Act designed to unclog provincial-court dockets
New legislation introduced in the New Brunswick legislature Tuesday would increase penalties for impaired drivers, keep them off the roads and reduce the number of such cases in court.
Public Safety Minister Kris Austin introduced the proposed amendments to the Motor Vehicle Act in the legislature Tuesday.
Essentially, the revisions, if passed, would see a significant portion of impaired-driving cases out of the realm of criminal law and the courts, and instead be addressed through an administrative process, at the discretion of police officers.
A key component of the new approach would be an immediate roadside suspension program, which officers could impose rather than pursuing a criminal charge - as long as there was no serious bodily harm, death or passengers under the age of 16.