SGI is making a number of moves this month in its ongoing battle against impaired driving in the province.

Along with a new awareness campaign, the crown corporation is steering hard into this month's Traffic Safety Spotlight by giving Saskatchewan residents an uncompromising blow-by-blow of what exactly happens when someone gets caught driving while impaired, regardless of whether it ended in tragedy or not.

Penny McCune is the Chief Operating Officer of the Auto Fund.

In a release to media, she said that people might not understand just how badly a conviction for impaired driving can turn their life upside down, even if the worst doesn't happen.

"Driving impaired is a very risky thing to do, and there are a number of different penalties and costs that go along with an impaired driving charge.”

The very least an impaired driver can expect on being charged is:

  • Vehicle Impound - 30 days minimum.  Fees for towing and impound due upon return to the tune of around $815 dollars.
  • Suspension - No driving until the charges are answered in court, which could take a while.  After 90 days a driver can apply for the ignition interlock program.  While many choose to risk it by driving while under this suspension, many police vehicles are equipped with plate readers that can automatically detect vehicles with suspended drivers.  In the battle between impaired drivers and technology, technology wins every time.

If that impaired driver is convicted, according to SGI, the costs start to pile up.

  • Legal fees and court fees - These exist on top of the mandatory $1,000 fine and/or up-to 10 years in prison.
  • Safe Driver Demerits - Most drivers enjoy significant discounts on vehicle registration due to the long-running Safe Driver Recognition program.  A conviction will automatically place that driver at a -20 score, which comes with a further $1,250 dollar fine and an uphill climb of 3 years of incident-free driving before earning any discount again.
  • Ignition Interlocks - For one year, a convicted impaired driver must make use of an ignition interlock device to prevent the vehicle from operating if the driver is intoxicated.  This device costs $1,350 dollars and is paid for by the offending driver.
  • Mandatory Driver Eduction - A further $170 dollars and a weekend of the driver's time in order to re-familiarize themselves with the rules of the road.

Total cost to the impaired driver: Minimum of $4,585 dollars before legal fees and potential extra charges if they "risk it" by driving while suspended.

 

In the SGI release, they note that the financial cost, however large, is only a small price in comparison to the potential of killing another driver and the effect that it would have on all involved, which is what prompted their new awareness campaign.