Because it is believed many British Columbians are afraid to have a drink or two when dining our socializing at pubs and restaurants, the province is reviewing new drinking and driving penalties introduced in September. Photo by Tasleem Mawji - Click on picture for larger image
OSOYOOS TIMES-November 17, 2010
By Paul Everest – Osoyoos Times
The owner of the Osoyoos Taxi service wants to sit down with representatives of the local hospitality industry to find ways to encourage people to patronize local pubs and restaurants.
Subag Singh said he feels new drinking and driving penalties introduced by the province in September have contributed to a decrease in business for his company.
“People aren’t going out,” he said, adding that the “very restrictive” penalties have been a factor in a roughly 50-per-cent decline in the number of people using his taxi service in the past two months.
Singh said at first he thought the penalties would actually help his business as he believed people would use taxis more to avoid getting pulled over in their own vehicles.
But the penalties, he said, along with this time of year being a slow season in town and recent poor weather, have hurt his business.
Randy Geider, general manager of the Breeze Bar and Grill, agreed that the penalties, a slow economy, the time of year and a decline in the number of people in town due to fewer large development projects in the community, have contributed to a “lack of traffic” at his establishment.
When it comes to the new drinking and driving penalties, he said the big problem is that the province scared the public into thinking that having one drink could mean having one’s vehicle impounded.
That fear has discouraged people from going out and socializing at local restaurants and bars, Geiger said, adding that the problem lies with the government’s public relations campaign surrounding the penalties, not with the laws or the RCMP’s enforcement efforts.
Singh said he hopes incentives can be found to get people out socializing again.
He suggested an example where the local hospitality industry partners with the taxi service to provide people with a deal where, if a patron pays for a cab trip to a restaurant, the restaurants and pubs will have funds available to pay for the patron’s ride home.
Geider said it would be possible for pubs and restaurants in certain parts of town to band together to offer some kind of incentive similar to Singh’s suggestion to the public.
For example, he said, cooperative agreements could be created between establishments on the east side of the lake as well as the west side of the lake, or on certain streets where there are bars and restaurants in close proximity such as the Breeze and the Watermark Beach Resort Wine Bar.
But any such agreements would need the support of the breweries and spirits companies that supply local establishments, Geider added.
It has been nearly two months since the province introduced the new drinking and driving penalties.
Since Sept. 20, any motorists who are found to have a blood-alcohol content within the “warn” range of between 0.05 and 0.08 face a driving ban of between three and 30 days as well as hundreds of dollars in fees and penalties depending on how many “warn” offences the motorist has racked up in a five-year period.
Motorists who are caught in a roadside breath test with a blood-alcohol content of more than 0.08 face an immediate 90-day driving ban, a $500 administrative penalty, a $250 drivers licence reinstatement fee, a 30-day vehicle impoundment and mandatory use of an ignition interlock device for one year as well as the possibility of criminal charges.
Since the new penalties were introduced, Osoyoos RCMP have issued three three-day driving prohibitions, one seven-day prohibition and seven 90-day prohibitions as of Nov. 12.
The provincial government appears to be listening to concerns that the new penalties have scared people away from businesses that serve alcohol.
On Nov. 9, Rich Coleman, the provincial minister of public safety and solicitor general, said it’s a good time for the government to “examine the new rules to ensure they are working effectively.”
“What has become increasingly clear is the need for more public education, so that British Columbians can make well-informed, responsible decisions, and for police to consider the discretion available to them around impounding vehicles,” Coleman said in a media release.
“People need to know that they are able to legally drive their vehicles if they drink small amounts of alcohol over time. Most people can still enjoy a glass of wine with dinner or a beer after work.”
Prior to Sept. 20, police were handing out 24-hour roadside driver’s licence suspensions to drivers caught in the warn range.
But since police were issuing between 30,000 and 40,000 such suspensions each year, Coleman said, the province decided to get tougher on motorists caught in the warn range.
He said, however, that one consequence of the new penalties is that responsible drivers have been forced “to err on the side of extreme caution.”
Therefore, Coleman said, the province will look at “how more public education can continue to support responsible drivers in making safe decisions when they go out for a meal or to celebrate with friends.
“Our educational efforts will extend to police officers at the roadside.”
Coleman said he is concerned with the number of vehicles being towed since police began enforcing the new penalties.
“So, I’ve discussed with law enforcement leaders the need to reinforce the ‘discretion’ message with officers, and committed to strengthening police training about the new rules.”
Such discretions, he said, include the option of “parking a vehicle, if it is safe to do so, or allowing a sober passenger or friend to get a vehicle home” if the driver has only been caught once or twice in the warn range.
Coleman said the province is committed to revisiting the legislation behind the new penalties in the spring if necessary.
The government will also consult with the public, the hospitality industry, police and others to provide more public education about the new penalties.
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