Just one hour before B.C.'s strict new laws on drinking and driving kicked into effect, a man police believe had been drinking crashed his truck into a cop car in Maple Ridge.
Police say that the 23-year-old Maple Ridge man was driving his pick-up north on 240 Street around 11 p.m. on Sunday when he struck a parked utility vehicle and then an RCMP constable's cruiser. Police were assisting at a house fire at the time.
Const. Curtis Genest and the driver of the truck were both taken to Ridge Meadows Hospital with minor injuries. The officer has since been released.
The driver showed signs that he had been drinking before the crash, according to police, but refused to supply a blood sample.
Mounties are still investigating the collision.
In a press release, Insp. Derren Lench called the crash "ironic" in light of the new drunk-driving regulations that came into effect almost immediately after the crash.
"This incident clearly shows that we need these new tougher laws, which are aimed at deterring, and trying to reduce the frequency of impaired driving," Lench said.
Under the new laws, drivers caught with a blood alcohol reading above .08 will be subject to an immediate 90-day driving ban and a $500 administrative penalty.
Additional towing fees, mandatory driver education and the required purchase of an ignition locking device follow. The province estimates the entire cost at an estimated $3,750.
Those caught with a blood alcohol level in the warning range between .05 and .08 face a three-day driving ban and a $200 fine. Additional fees add up to about $600, and penalties, including the length of driving bans, increase for second and third warnings.
