Almost 1,000 Albertans Have Suspended Licenses For Violating The New Impaired Driving Law
Drinking and driving laws are getting tougher in Alberta, and nearly a thousand people are feeling the effects. That’s the number of Albertans who have had their driver’s license indefinitely suspended under the new law, which took effect on July 1st of this year. The final phase of the new law took place at the end of August, which stated that drivers caught with a blood-alcohol level between .05 and .08 would automatically lose their license and have their vehicle seized for three days.
The 994 drivers that have had their licenses suspended do not even include all license suspensions and vehicle seizures that have been issued in July and August. Some lawyers are arguing that these new laws are hurting drivers that are innocent by giving them an automatic license suspension without going to court. This process will potentially cause both guilty and innocent drivers to plead guilty in court just to speed up the process of potentially getting their license back.
The government of Alberta is refuting these claims by stating that there is an appeal process in place for those who wish to contest the findings of their breath-testing device. Drivers can also request a second breath-test from a different device immediately after the first test is administered. Vehicle seizures and license-suspensions longer than three days can also be appealed through the Alberta Transportation Safety Board.
It’s too early to determine the full effects of the new impaired driving law, and there is still room for the government of Alberta to adjust the law in the future. If you have questions for a Litigation Lawyer in Calgary, please do not hesitate to contact the law office of Vogel LLP.
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