At 12:01 a.m. January 1, tougher impaired driving penalties will come into effect.
Experienced drivers who are charged for the first time with having a blood alcohol content (BAC) over .04 will have their vehicle seized for three days. For drivers 21 and under and all new drivers, there will be zero tolerance for drugs and alcohol.
Traffic officers will be out in full force as the law comes into effect, targeting impaired drivers.
“But not with your regular checkstops that we have,” Regina police spokesperson Kim Schmidt said. “Just because not everybody will go through the checkstop. They’ll see it happening a block or two away and they’ll avoid it. So there’s other methods that we have that traffic enforcement will be planning.”
Last year, four people were charged with impaired driving on New Year’s Eve.
“The number may seem low, but it’s still four too many,” Schmidt said. “There’s lots of safe options and there’s no excuses.”
The City of Regina is running its Ding in the New Year campaign, offering free transit from 7 p.m. to 2:15 a.m. Operation Red Nose is also helping residents get some safely and will drive you and your car home for free. Call 306-949-2400 to arrange a ride.
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