RCMP is once again wondering what it will take to stop people from driving while impaired after a man with three children in his vehicle under the age of 10 was charged Aug. 14 with impaired driving.
“The person blew three and half times the legal limit and he had three children with him,” RCMP Constable Matt Gervais said. “It’s concerning because people just continue to drink and drive, contrary to all the campaigns and ads and everything else we’ve put out advising people not to.”
At 9:20 p.m., Gervais said RCMP responded to a 9-1-1 call from a motorist about a Dodge Caravan mini van, which was driving erratically on Highway 2 southbound. RCMP was able to intercept the vehicle on the highway near the exit to Yankee Valley Boulevard.
A 46-year-old man from Calgary was arrested and charged with impaired operation of a motor vehicle and driving over the legal limit of 0.08 blood alcohol.
Care of the three children was turned over to a family member.
According to Gervais, the degree to which someone blows over the legal limit does not necessarily correlate with the degree of impairment they are showing, but it may indicate they are a seasoned drinker.
Blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is the amount of alcohol in a person’s blood. For example, if a person has a BAC of .05 per cent, they have 50 milligrams of alcohol in 100 milliliters of blood. Gervais said the science has proven everyone is impaired if they are over 100 milligrams percent or 0.100 per cent.
“The average social drinker, someone who meets their friends for a drink on Friday night, would be falling over drunk more than likely at the level of 100 to 120, maybe even 130 milligrams percentage,” he said.
“When we start getting the higher levels – let’s say double the legal limit or triple or quadruple – all that tells us is that person is a little bit more of a drinker. That person has a tolerance in their system to alcohol. This person is probably a daily drinker and their body can handle something like that,” he said.
BAC is impacted by a number of factors including gender, weight, height and type and amount of food eaten.
According to Gervais, a motorist can be charged with impaired driving even if their BAC is under the legal limit of 0.08.
“Your ability to operate a motor vehicle is what is important. That’s where all the driving evidence would come into play – they were bouncing all over from curb to curb or they were all over the highway or they couldn’t maintain the centre of a driving lane,” he said. “They’re still impaired.”
If the motorist also blows 0.08 or higher, Gervais said they can also be charged with driving over the legal limit. Refusing to provide a sample is also a chargeable offense.
Gervais said a high reading might be considered an aggravating factor by the court during sentencing.
The invincibility factor is something Gervais said he sees quite often.
“A lot of people think they know their limits. You don’t even need to be over the legal limit to be impacted,” he said. “Your decision-making to even get behind the wheel is obviously impacted. A lot of times people call it the Superhero Effect when you drink. A lot of the younger kids think, that won’t happen to me. That’s absolutely dead wrong.”
Being charged with impaired driving means a mandatory license suspension for the driver until the court case is resolved. On a first offense, the vehicle is seized for three days; a subsequent charge will result in a seven-day vehicle seizure.
Graduated Driving License drivers are not allowed to have any amount of alcohol in their systems. Getting caught means a mandatory 30-day license suspension and a seven-day vehicle seizure for the first offense.
If you have any information about any crime, contact the Airdrie RCMP Detachment at (403) 945-7200 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or online at tipsubmit.com
