CAA-Quebec has issued a statement saying that while the federal government’s proposal to lower the legal alcohol limit for drivers is a step in the right direction, the decision might be something too big to handle.
The non-profit believes a “phase-in” period will be needed in order to acclimatize drivers to the new policy before it can be fully implemented. CAA-Quebec also sees a possible conflict between the lowering of the legal alcohol level and the legalization of marijuana.
“Marijuana legalization is going to require major investments in prevention, awareness-raising and policing. And the amount and degree of progress of such efforts, as well as the planned amounts to be invested, are already worrisome,” CAA-Quebec Foundation for Road Safety director Marco Harrison said in a statement.
Search and compare product listings for Driver’s Insurance from specialty market providers here
“If the BAC limit is reduced to 0.05 as well, we believe the governments would be biting off more than they can chew, and the pill for motorists would be too hard to swallow.”
Quebec is the only province in Canada that has yet to implement “administrative” penalties for drivers with blood alcohol levels between 0.05 and 0.08. Harrison reasoned that, because of this, the sudden decision to lower the legal alcohol limit could throw drivers off.
“These measures are very effective because they make people think. But because they don’t exist in Quebec, going ahead with an immediate change to the Criminal Code, with no phase-in period, could well create a lot of confusion and discontent,” he explained.
CAA-Quebec surveyed its members in early 2017, and found that 59% said that they would agree to administrative measures. When told that the risk of a fatal collision increases from two- to nine-fold for a motorist with a BAC level between 0.05 and 0.08, 77% of survey participants said that they would also agree to such penalties.
Although studies by Quebec’s public health institute suggest that there will be real improvements once alcohol limits have been lowered, CAA-Quebec insists that steps should not be skipped. Only by “allocating the necessary amounts of money for prevention, awareness-raising and police crackdowns,” can the law be truly effective.
Related stories:
Ontario’s worst roads revealed
CAA recognized for insurance technology innovations
