Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In recent years the Northwest Territories has seen improvement in the number of alcohol-related vehicle collisions on our roads and highways and yet in 2009 there were 35 collisions involving alcohol, resulting in 18 persons injured and one person dead.
Back in 2003 the Legislative Assembly passed amendments to the Motor Vehicles Act that introduced new measures to reduce impaired driving. The amendments provided the drivers convicted of impaired driving were prohibited from driving the length of time depending on the number of offenses. It also identified conditions that could be imposed on drivers who want to have their licences reinstated. One of these was a requirement to use an alcohol ignition interlock device. This is a mechanism like a breathalyser that is installed in a motor vehicle’s dashboard. Before the vehicle’s motor will start, the driver first must exhale into the device. Basically, if the breath alcohol concentration is greater than 0.02 percent, the device prevents the engine from being started. There are also safeguards to prevent cheating. To my knowledge, requiring the use of this device has not been used as yet.
I think there may be reasons to consider such an option. Let me be clear that I do not condone or approve in any way people drinking and driving under the influence of alcohol, but sometimes a person needs a driver’s licence for emergency or safety reasons or to make their living either on the job or their commute to work. If the person’s licence is renewed on condition that an alcohol ignition interlock device would be installed in the person’s vehicle, this could provide more assurance that the driver will be sober.
Mr. Speaker, I encourage the government to develop regulations as to what situations might warrant the use of an ignition interlock device and a program to implement its usage. But, Mr. Speaker, at this time a judge cannot make an ignition interlock device a condition of a person seeking limited driving permission because such regulations as a companion to our Motor Vehicles Act have never been developed.
Mr. Speaker, I will have questions today for the Minister of Transportation on this subject. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.
