Kim Barraclough
Northern News Services

NNSL (Nov 02/98) - Along with snow and cold weather, Northerners have something else in common -- the opinion that drinking and driving has to go.

On Wednesday night, a meeting was held in Hay River to discuss the issue of drinking and driving and what should be done to toughen up current impaired driving laws.

The Department of Transportation has come up with a list of strategies and is seeking public input.

"We did want to do a full consultation process," said Richard MacDonald, registrar for motor vehicles division in the Department of Transportation.

Reactions to the proposed ideas have been quite positive.

"Generally, everybody agreed (with the strategies)," said Sunny Ashcroft, a Grade 12 student at Diamond Jeness high school in Hay River.

Some of the proposed strategies are an increase in fines and licence reinstatement fees and an increase in licence suspension -- one year's suspension for the first offence, three years for a second and five years for a third.

It has also been proposed that there be a

30 to 90 day licence suspension enforced for anyone driving with a blood alcohol content level of .04 per cent or for refusing to provide a breath sample.

A 30 day vehicle impoundment for operating a vehicle while under licence suspension and the introduction of a graduated licensing system with zero tolerance for alcohol have also been suggested.

It has been further recommended that there be the establishment of a public awareness and education program, enhanced enforcement activity through increased police commitment and an assessment of treatment programs.

"There has to be a commitment from the enforcement people or there is no enforcement at all," said MacDonald.

The reaction to the meeting has, so far, proven to be a positive one.

According to Ashcroft, there were several people at the meeting in Hay River who wanted to see the tolerance level not dropped to .04 per cent, but to zero.

The Department of Transportation has sent out a survey to many Northern communities to get responses to the proposed strategies.

"We got an amazing return - a very positive response," said MacDonald.

According to MacDonald, 80 per cent who returned the survey either agreed or strongly agreed with the strategies listed on the survey.

"If the public's concerned, it will go faster," MacDonald said about the length of time it will take for the proposal to get through legislation.

Michel Thoms, a spokesperson for the Students Against Drinking and Driving (SADD) group at St. Patrick's school in Yellowknife, said the group has not been waiting for the new strategies to be made into laws.

"We don't need to wait for the government," said Thoms.

The SADD Yellowknife branch has been very active in the community running regular campaigns to promote impaired driving prevention.

According to Ashcroft, a SADD group recently started at Diamond Jeness high school in Hay River and hopes to begin campaigning soon.

Although the number of drinking and driving accidents has decreased in the past several years, 3.5 per cent of every 1,000 vehicle crashes in the North are alcohol related.

That is 70 per cent more than the Canadian average.