Police officers in New Brunswick now have more flexibility when it comes to dealing with impaired drivers.
Amendments to the Motor Vehicle Act introduced by the previous government take effect on Wednesday.
Drivers with a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.05 or greater, or who perform poorly on a standard field sobriety test, will now have their licence suspended for at least seven days and their vehicle impounded for at least three days.
The new rules also allow officers to give drivers who have a BAC of 0.08 or more, or who refuse a roadside screening test, an immediate roadside suspension rather than charge them.
In addition to the usual three-month licence suspension, their vehicle will be impounded for 30 or 60 days and they will have to have an ignition interlock device installed on their vehicle for 12 months.
They will also have to participate in an impaired driver re-education course and pay hundreds of dollars in other fines and fees, according to the province.
Officials said the roadside suspension program means getting impaired drivers off roads immediately while reducing the number of court cases.
Up until now, police only had the option of charging an impaired driver and suspending their licence for three months. Once the suspension was over, they could continue driving again while awaiting their court date, which could take months.
The immediate roadside suspension program allows for the mandatory vehicle ignition interlock program, impaired driver re-education course and fines and fees to start immediately after the three-month suspension.
Criminal charges will be mandatory for drivers who cause serious bodily harm or death or who have a passenger under the age of 16 in the vehicle with them.
