A local road safety advocate is applauding new impaired driving laws that came into effect on Tuesday.
The new rules look to further discourage drunk driving by raising the maximum penalties for impaired driving convictions.
Police officers have also been granted the authority to demand a breath sample without cause. A power that some social advocates say could infringe upon the rights of Canadians.
Even if that's true, Personal Injury Lawyer and Road Safety Advocate Paul Hergott thinks the safety of citizens should take priority.
"In my view, having the right of police to screen drivers for alcohol consumption is such a minimal infringement on our driving, on our time, that it's something that should be allowed" said Hergott. "Hopefully the number of impaired drivers will dramatically go down with this change."
Galvanized by the death of a close friend, Hergott has spent years advocating for stricter traffic laws and promoting safe driving practices through his 'One Crash is Too Many" campaign.
He says when impaired drivers get behind the wheel, everyone pays the price - on their insurance.
There is an average of 960 collisions per day in the province according to ICBC. The insurance corporation is projected to lose nearly nine-million dollars this year, due to the increased cost and frequency of personal injury claims.
"Collisions have a significant financial impact on us all." said Hergott. "ICBC insurance rates provide a pool of money to payout the victims of car crashes. If you cut down car crashes, the amount required to compensate victims will go down, everybody's happy."
ICBC is currently seeking a 6.3 percent increase to basic insurance rates.
While calling the new restrictions a big step forward, Hergott notes the most significant hazard to BC's roads is distracted driving. He believes the next step should be to ban cell-phone use of any kind while behind the wheel.