Alberta adopts updated impaired driving law

Suspended drivers who do not participate in the ignition interlock program will remain suspended for the year.

New impaired driving legislation went into effect on Monday that gives law enforcement the ability to issue an immediate 90 day licence suspension to impaired drivers.

Last November, the province passed Bill 29 to prepare for the legalization of cannabis and to create limits for licence suspensions.

Under the new rules, drivers with blood alcohol levels of .08 or more, who are impaired by drugs, alcohol or both, or who fail or refuse breath or blood samples will see their licences immediately suspended for 90 days. Offenders will also have their vehicles seized for three days and they will have to take part in a one-year ignition interlock program following the licence suspension.

A zero tolerance program is also now in place for individuals under the Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) program. Drivers that are found to have any amount of cannabis or illegal drugs in their system will receive an immediate 30 day suspension and a seven-day vehicle seizure. They will be required to remain in the  GDL program for two years, with a year of suspension-free driving.

Provincial officials say almost 6000 people were injured in alcohol-related crashes between 2013 and 2015.

The province says new blood drug concentration limits will also come into effect later this year.

For more on the impaired driving law changes, click HERE.