Strengthening Alberta’s Approach to Impaired Driving

Limits haven’t changed. Penalties Have.

Experience in many provinces, including Alberta, has shown that fines and demerits are not adequate deterrents to impaired driving.

Alberta’s increased administrative penalties target impaired drivers and repeat offenders, but are not meant to deter responsible Albertans from enjoying a drink with dinner or friends*.

The approach focuses on Criminal Code offences, repeat offenders and new drivers – combining tough enforcement with behaviour-changing mandatory education and ignition interlock. The goal is safer roads for all Albertans.


* Responsible choices mean understanding your personal limits. For example, this statement is based upon a person with normal weight, height, tolerance to alcohol and metabolism of alcohol and who has a zero blood alcohol concentration at the time of the consumption.

A drink is considered to be a standard sized alcoholic beverage, which would be the equivalent of:
- one bottle of beer/12 ounces/341 millilitres at 5% alcohol by volume (5%v/v alcohol),
- one 5-ounce/142 millilitre glass of wine at 12% alcohol by volume (12%v/v alcohol) or
- 1.5 ounces/43 millilitres of hard liquor at 40% alcohol by volume (40%v/v alcohol).