The latest statistics show that drunk-driving deaths have been halved in B.C., and some are crediting the province's tough new laws.

Between October 2010 and April 2011, there were 31 fatalities related to drinking and driving in B.C., compared to an average of 61 deaths during the same period over the past five years.

Premier Christy Clark says that proves the value of the strict punishments for impaired driving introduced last year.

"You can't really argue with the number of lives that have been saved," she told reporters Monday.

For Marita Maas, a B.C. mother who was hospitalized for weeks after a head-on crash with an impaired driver, the province's tough laws seem especially necessary.

"There have been lives saved, and no one can feel happier about that," she told CTV News.

"I can understand a crash happening for various reasons, but this is something that is so preventable."

Drivers with a blood-alcohol level between .05 and .08 now face a three-day roadside suspension and fine.

After restaurant and pub owners complained that the new regulations were cutting into their business last year, the province seemed ready to reconsider the laws.

Former solicitor general Rich Coleman announced a review of the law in November, saying: "We're going to take a look at the legislation going into the spring to see how it could work better -- if there's problems with it."

But now those in the restaurant industry say that customers are adapting.

"I think we're utilizing more public transit, more taxis, more people within homes, more designated drivers, so the negative effects are starting to back off a bit," said Ian Tostenson of the B.C. Restaurant and Foodservices Association.

But he says that going even further and adopting a zero-tolerance policy would be a tough sell.

"I just don't think we need any more changes right now. I think we need to lock into this and make this system work," he said.

Police aren't pushing for stricter laws, either.

"The message is out there," said Surrey RCMP Supt. Norm Gaumont. "The consequences are such that people are changing their driving behaviour. I don't think we need anything more severe."

With a report from CTV British Columbia's Maria Weisgarber