Making our streets safer
view article
Conference listings
view article
Messages from...
view article
Avoiding ID theft
view article
Public Trustee administering property and estates on behalf of Albertans
view article
Online News Briefs
view article
Planning for Alberta's future
view article
Unified family court bill feedback sought
view article
Police dogs eager to serve
view article
A courtroom drama in Alberta classrooms
view article
Justice and EPS team up for high-tech bail hearings
view article
Family violence roundtable begins
view article
Staff in the community
view article
ID kits for child safety
view article
Selinger golf tournament set for June 24
view article
In our courts
view article
Previous Issues
Nov 2003
July 2003
Winter 2003
Fall 2002
Summer 2002
Spring 2002
Summer 2001
Getting drunks off the road
By Karen Machura
Don't drink and drive! Alcohol and driving don't mix! Don't drive after you've been drinking! Any way you say it, the message is simple.
Despite these messages, too many people still get behind the wheel after consuming alcohol, and all too often Albertans turn on their radios and TVs to hear about another innocent life tragically ended by an impaired driver.
 |
Alberta Justice Minister speaks with the media about chronic drunk drivers |
Even more troubling are the cases involving people who commit these offences numerous times - the repeat and chronic offenders.
A few months ago, the problem of chronic drunk drivers made newspaper headlines after three high-profile cases came before the courts in St. Paul, Edmonton and Camrose. Each of the three people charged had more than a dozen previous convictions for impaired driving. Although all three accused received jail terms, Alberta Justice recognizes that more needs to be done to effectively deal with chronic drunk drivers.
"We want to send a clear message that Albertans won't put up with this anymore," said Justice Minister Dave Hancock. "Pushing for stronger sentences is one way we can deliver that message."
By sharing information with partners and participating in community driven workshops such as February's Edmonton Approach - Safest Roads in the World by 2010, Alberta Justice continues to look at more effective ways of dealing with impaired drivers.
Additionally,
Additionally, Crown Prosecutors in the Appeals Branch of Alberta Justice are studying
Alberta and Canadian case law to back up a strategy to combat chronic drunk drivers.
"If you've got chronic offenders who aren't learning the lesson, then the only way you can make the community safer is to take them out of the community," said Minister Hancock. "We've got to crack down on this and we're going to use every tool that we have."
Alberta Justice is also exploring the option of using the long-term offender status for chronic drunk drivers. Applying this status to an offender is significant because once a person is designated as a long-term offender the justice system can closely monitor them after their release from prison. Additionally, if an offender breaches any of the conditions placed on them by the court, they can be returned to prison for as long as 10 years.
