Impaired driving consequences in BC

In his test of the constitutionality of British Columbia’s impaired driving laws, Supreme Court Justice Jon Sigurdson ruled that “an immediate declaration of invalidity of part of the ARP [Automatic Roadside Prohibition], (also known as the Immediate Roadside Prohibition, or IRP) regime may post a danger to the public.” The government has until June 30, 2012 to propose legislative changes to the existing laws. (See: BC has six months to make changes to drunk driving laws)

“We are pleased that the court order upheld the constitutionality of the 90-day IRP for those who refuse to provide a breath sample at roadside when requested to do so by a police officer,” said B.C. Attorney General Shirley Bond. “The IRP program has also been found to be constitutionally valid by the court for those who blow in the warn range of 0.05 to 0.08.”

For those who do blow in the warn range, the consequences can be pricey. The following chart from ICBC lays out the costs:

Summary of impaired driving consequences

* within a five-year period

**three- and seven-day impoundments are at the discretion of police

***These requirements may be triggered earlier and may increase in length if other offences are on a driving record.

Note: Applicable taxes and licence fees also apply.

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