6 ways P.E.I. has improved drinking and driving enforcement

P.E.I. is expected to show improvement in the MADD report card on reducing impaired driving that comes out later this month.

MADD CEO Andrew Murie was on P.E.I. last week with a positive message for the provincial government.

Murie noted since a bad report card for the province in 2012 there have been a number of improvements, and in some ways the Island is leading the way.

Murie pointed a few specific changes

• Program to encourage people to call 911 to report an impaired driver.
• New suspensions for drug impairments.
• Impounding vehicles for longer.
• Ignition locks mandatory for first-time offenders.
• Ignition locks for five years for those with prior convictions if they were over 0.16 blood alcohol level.
• Introduction of coded licence plate for repeat offenders.

The 2014 introduction of the coded licence plate was a first for Canada.

One area where Murie said the province could improve is with youth. MADD would like to see graduated licensing moved from three years to five.

The official MADD report card comes out June 22.

Question of the day: Is P.E.I. doing a good job of stopping people from drinking and driving?