Stiffer drunk driving rules in N.B. starting next month

FREDERICTON – Drivers who violate New Brunswick’s stiffer new rules for blood alcohol levels will lose their licences for a week.

Public Safety Minister Robert Trevors says those stopped with a blood alcohol level of between .05 and .08 will be subject to the penalty when it kicks in June 24.

The new rules were introduced in the legislature last fall in amendments to the province’s Motor Vehicle Act and replace the current 24-hour licence suspension.

The legal limit for blood alcohol concentration is .08 per cent.

Police will continue to enforce an immediate 90-day suspension for drivers who test over the limit, even before a case goes to court.