The federal government is looking at lowering the legal alcohol limit to drive a vehicle.
It’s a change that Tony Fiacco would welcome as he lost his son to a drunk driving accident in 1989.
"It took a while to get over the loss,” said Fiacco. “I mean, you don't ever really get over it, but you start thinking of ways that you can make things different for other people."
Fiacco and his wife started a safe ride home service because of their son’s death called First Choice Designated Driver Service.
"You can have the laws there but unless you take responsibility and realize that you aren't invincible and that you're jeopardizing other people's lives," said Fiacco.
The Saskatchewan government changed drinking and driving laws in January. Now, there’s zero tolerance if you're under the age of 21, and if a driver is caught driving with a blood alcohol level of between .04 and .08, they could have their vehicle suspended for three days.
But now, the federal government is looking to go one step further and lowering the legal limit from .08 to .05.
“In April, our government proposed legislation that would reform the entire impaired driving regime in the Criminal Code,” said federal Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould.
“It would strengthen existing drug and alcohol-impaired driving laws by creating new offences, and making the law easier to enforce, simpler, more coherent and efficient. If passed by Parliament, this legislation would give Canada one of the toughest impaired driving regimes in the world.”
The federal government has asked the provinces and territories for feedback about the potential change
Provincial Justice Minister Gordon Wyant responded, saying he's interested in working out a new law with the federal government.
“Public education and awareness of the impacts of impaired driving is an essential part of reducing and eliminating impaired driving,” said Wyant.
“SGI has introduced multiple public campaigns to combat impaired driving. They also fund a number of programs and initiatives to prevent impaired driving. These campaigns and initiatives are powerful reminders that we all need to make the responsible decision to plan a safe ride home.”
