If you’re the kind of driver who hits the road after a tipple or two, consider yourself warned: as of Dec. 16, Manitoba police will have new powers to impound vehicles and issue fines following quick roadside alcohol-screening tests, without laying a charge of impaired driving.
“This will help ensure immediate, significant and clear consequences if you drink and drive,” said Justice Minister Cliff Cullen at Thursday’s announcement at RCMP D Division Headquarters on Portage Avenue. “You will lose your licence, you will lose your vehicle, and you will lose a lot of money.”
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Vancouver impaired-driving defence lawyer Kyla Lee says she deals with 15 to 20 IRP cases a week.
“When the law was brought in, the (B.C.) government, I think, had hoped that it would result in a decrease in impaired driving behaviour,” she said.
“The reality is that we don’t see that. We see, every month, relatively consistent numbers of IRPs being issued, which means that there’s no significant deterrent (effect). …There’s been removal of a lot of impaired driving cases from the courts… It frees up a lot of court time.”
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