Impaired driving enforcement in Abbotsford

Impaired driving is defined as "the act of driving while being intoxicated by alcohol or narcotics" and is the leading criminal cause of death and injury in Canada. To respond to the growing number of impaired drivers, British Columbia recently introduced new legislation that provides police with a range of impaired driving penalties that they can implement under the provincial Motor Vehicle Act, and which introduced a "warning" range in relation to the legal blood-alcohol content (BAC) of drivers. ... In order to understand police perceptions and practices regarding impaired driving enforcement and the barriers to successfully doing so, the major questions addressed in this brief report are how the amount of paperwork involved in charging a suspect and the penalties that impaired drivers may receive influence whether officers charge suspects under the Criminal Code or rely on administrative options, such as those under the provincial Motor Vehicle Act, and police response to the newly introduced impaired driving legislation.