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Call for a crackdown

The mother of a woman who was killed in a February crash that orphaned five children has collected more than 500 names on a petition calling for stiffer penalties against drunk drivers.
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Sandra Green has collected more than 500 names on a petition calling for stiffer penalties against drunk drivers.

The mother of a woman who was killed in a February crash that orphaned five children has collected more than 500 names on a petition calling for stiffer penalties against drunk drivers.

Sandra Green is the mother of Krista Howe. Krista and her husband Brad Howe of Red Deer were killed on Feb. 7 in a collision in Red Deer. Charges were laid following the collision and the case is still before the courts.

The deaths left behind five children, ages five, seven, nine, 11 and 15. Green is helping her other daughter Karla who assumed responsibility to raise the children.

Green said on Thursday until the penalties represent a deterrent to impaired drivers, statistics will remain staggering.

Green said the petition is on the Internet and in Red Deer at the Mount Calvary Lutheran Church at 18 Selkirk Blvd. Other copies are being circulated in various Saskatchewan communities and in Eckville.

Green said she has written and received a reply from Prime Minister Stephen Harper and sent copies of that to provincial justice ministers and MLAs.

The online petition also gives people the opportunity to voice their opinion or share how they’ve been impacted by an impaired driver.

Green said she hopes for a balance so that those who do choose to drink understand their options and the consequence of driving.

“It’s preventable. People can do a number of things rather than get behind the wheel.”

She said Alberta should follow British Columbia’s lead with stiffer penalties against drivers suspected of impaired driving.

The B.C. law, enacted on Monday, states that drivers caught with a blood alcohol level of 0.08 or higher or those who refuse to give a breath sample will get a three-month driving ban. Other sanctions include a $500 administrative penalty, a $250 driver’s licence reinstatement fee, vehicle impounded for 30 days and a mandatory use of an ignition interlock device for one year.

The total cost adds up to almost $4,000 and it can all be triggered during a roadside stop by a police, without any immediate criminal charges or time in court.

Green’s petition asks that the first time anyone is identified as a drunk driver, they need to face a jail term of at least 30 days with no possibility of being released before the term has been served. In addition, it proposes that every offender needs to be subject to the same penalties for drunk driving.

And it calls for zero tolerance for a second drunk driving offence. The second time anyone is identified as a drunk driver, they need to lose their licence for life, she said.

jwilson@www.reddeeradvocate.com