Drunk driving is one of the leading causes of car crash-related deaths in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, according to Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal Maurice Smith. However, the province continues its fight to reduce drunk driving with a DUI child endangerment law that went into effect on May 1.
Under the new law, anyone convicted of drinking and driving while a child passenger was in the vehicle will face increased DUI penalties, including a loss of their driver’s license and driving privileges for at least two years and mandatory ignition interlock installation for at least one year.
The increased penalties come at no surprise as Nova Scotia is known for having some of the toughest penalties for drunk drivers throughout the country. Drivers convicted of operating a vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08 are subject to a fine, possible jail time, suspended driving privileges, completion of an alcohol dependency assessment program, a license reinstatement fee, possible ignition interlock installation, and a re-take of the driver’s test. All fine, suspension, and jail time amounts depend on the number of previous DUI offenses and vary from case to case.