• B.C.'s ground-breaking Immediate Roadside Prohibition (IRP) law deters people from drinking and driving and enables police to remove drivers affected by alcohol immediately from the road.
• The law protects public safety and saves lives through tough roadside penalties, including immediate driving prohibitions, vehicle impoundments, and financial penalties.
• B.C. has led the way nationally on tackling this issue and the results speak for themselves - an estimated 238 lives saved and a 52% reduction in alcohol-related motor vehicle fatalities since the IRP Program began in 2010.
• In 2015, the Province introduced amendments to the Motor Vehicle Act that will enhance and safeguard the life-saving benefits of B.C.'s road safety programs, including the IRP program. These amendments will do three things: improve fairness and transparency, respond to direction from the court, and ensure the continued toughness of our drinking and driving laws.
• UVIC's Centre for Addictions Research of BC (CARBC) gave B.C. the top ranking among Canadian provinces when it comes to drinking and driving policies.
• A CARBC study also shows that, beyond the lives this law has helped save, it has also resulted in significant declines in injuries (23%) and property damage (19.5%).
• In a 2012 Roadside Alcohol and Drug Survey, more than 82 per cent of drivers said they were aware of the IRP sanctions and 90% said they felt the legislation would make roads safer.

IRP stats:

• On average, over 1,500 drivers in B.C. are issued an IRP for drinking and driving each month.
• As of Jan. 31, 2015:
• More than 81,000 IRPs have been issued since the program's inception in September 2010.
• Of the total number of IRPs issued, over 28,500 drivers blew in the "warn" range and over 52,500 blew in the "fail" range, or refused to provide a breath sample.
• Between January 2011 and April 2014, an estimated 21,422 Criminal Code cases were diverted from the court system to an administrative process as a result of the IRP program.
• We've seen an estimated reduction of 6,000 Criminal Code Impaired Driving court cases each year since the implementation of the IRP program.

Learn More:

IRP penalties: www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/osmv/shareddocs/immediate-roadside-prohibition-penalties.pdf

CARBC news release on the effectiveness of B.C.'s drinking and driving law: http://www.carbc.ca/Portals/0/PropertyAgent/714/Files/332/130612MediaRelease.pdf

View the CARBC report on alcohol-related harms and costs: http://www.carbc.ca/Portals/0/PropertyAgent/558/Files/335/Bulletin%202013-08.pdf

View the BC Roadside Alcohol and Drug Survey:
http://www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/osmv/shareddocs/bc-roadside-report2012.pdf

The U.S. Public Broadcasting Service story about the success of the IRP program: www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/law/jan-june14/vancouverdd_01-05.html 

Contact:

Ministry of Justice
Government Communications and Public Engagement
250 213-3602