by Dr. Radut

Convicted for Impaired Driving in Alberta - Can I Drive in BC?

Published by DriveSmartBC -

Keys and DrinkThe basis of this story comes from an inquiry posed by a young man who moved from BC to Alberta for work and was convicted for drinking and driving. He lost his job and was forced to move back home. The Justice of the Peace at the courthouse in Alberta advised that his driving prohibition was for the province of Alberta and that this should not stop him from obtaining a BC driver's licence when he returned home. The Justice of the Peace was not correct.

Anyone who is prohibited from operating a motor vehicle by the law of a province and drives commits an offence under the Criminal Code of Canada. Put more simply, if you are prohibited from driving by the law of any province, you are prohibited from driving anywhere in Canada. If you choose to drive and are convicted, you will have a criminal record for doing so.

When this young man visits an ICBC Driver Service Center to regain his BC driver's licence he will be asked if he is currently prohibited from driving in another jurisdiction. If he answers honestly a check will be made with the Alberta authorities. The confirmed impaired driving conviction will be entered on his driving record and he will be automatically prohibited from driving in BC for one year from the date of the Alberta conviction. If he lies and is caught, other criminal sanctions will result if he is convicted.

Continuing to drive without a licence, prohibited or not, will only serve to make the problem worse. There are significant fines, possible jail sentences, vehicle impounds and further prohibitions that could be applied.

While the consequences of this young man's poor decision look significant for him, it is nothing in comparison to the potential harm his choice presented to both himself and others. Driving while impaired by alcohol, legal or illegal drugs is still far too common on our highways. Never drive while your abilities are impaired.

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Published by CompetentDrivingBC - 2015/10/30 - 14:18 | Permalink

I could be mistaken on this, but I'm pretty certain that anybody wishing to exchange an out-of-province license for a BC one will have their driving record searched for stuff like this before ICBC will issue, or reissue, a BC license; at which point, the impaired charge and conviction would show up on screen, and the prohibition recognized.

Published by my5cents - 2015/10/31 - 14:41 | Permalink

Also if you choose to drive while prohibited any insurance you have will be void if you are in a liable collision.

Published by Phrontistes - 2015/11/01 - 10:32 | Permalink

Alcohol and Calculus don't mix. Never drink and derive.

Published by DriveSmartBC - 2015/11/01 - 10:55 | Permalink

It would seem that the young man requesting the information that served as the basis for this article was unhappy with the article content:

"Thank you for publicly judging me and my situation when you don't have all the facts. Completely unnecessary."

Obviously, if he chooses not to share all the facts, it's pretty difficult to comment from a fully informed position. Hopefully the response was driven by embarrassment and not an attitude.

Driver Licencing
ICBC
Impaired Driving