Police, liquor establishments owners, beer and wine store clerks and bar patrons all agree - the new harsher drinking and driving laws are creating a visible impact on the community.
Sitting at the Grizzly Pub on Monday (Oct. 11) night, Al Klassen drank a glass of orange juice while watching the football game.
"People need to remember it's more than just against the law, you're putting yourself and others in danger," he said. "The new laws are strict but if that even saves a dozen lives every year and you know one of those dozen people, then it's worth it."
In the wake of harsher drinking and driving punishments that took effect Sept. 20, police have already begun noticing a change in driver behaviour, according to RCMP Cpl. Scott Bowden who is in charge of Sea to Sky traffic services.
"I think people are being more mindful about drinking and driving," he said. "We've been very visible and I think the message has been getting out to the public, which is a good thing."
Since Sept. 20, there have been nine three-day prohibitions and seven 90-day prohibitions in the Sea to Sky Corridor.
The actual law surrounding drinking hasn't changed - drivers with a blood-alcohol level over 0.05 and under 0.08 are still deemed impaired, but not criminal.
However, before last month, getting caught in this warn range had meant a 24-hour driving suspension. Now drivers in that same range face an immediate three-day driving ban, possible vehicle impoundment and fines or related fees up to $600.
And if drivers lose their licence mid-week, it could mean several more days without it since they can only apply to retrieve it on weekdays.
The new law also adds significant penalties for people caught with a blood alcohol level above 0.08 - the level at which drinking and driving becomes an offence under the Criminal Code.
Drivers caught above this level face an immediate 90-day driving ban and related costs of $3,750, which includes a fine, a driver's licence reinstatement fee, the cost of a mandatory responsible driver program, towing and impoundment fees and the cost of an ignition interlock device, which the offender must use for one year.
And whereas Lower Mainland media suggested using Canadian Automobile Association's online calculations to determine how much a person should be able to drink based on their weight, Bowden said that system is unreliable.
"I'm surprised they would even come out with that because there's too many variables - how much sleep you've had, how much food you've had and whether you've had anything to drink in the past 24 hours."
The new penalties are now causing drivers to second guess having even just one drink, according to anecdotal evidence provided by local liquor establishments. And business owners say they've had to come up with innovative ways to keep patrons coming -and drinking.
Inspired by their massive loss of sales, the Shady Tree's shuttle service started Thursday (Oct. 14) and general manager Marco Fanzone is hoping the service will kill two birds with one stone - keep people from drinking and driving and keep customers in his business.
"Right now when people do come in, their drinking habits have greatly changed," he said.
"We had to come up with a plan that would allow people to go out and celebrate or have an evening with their friends and family without worrying about how they're going to get home."
He said despite the loss of business, he was pleased to see the new regulations.
"We all have families and we don't want people getting hurt or killed," said Fanzone.
"The new drinking and driving laws have done what they're supposed to do - made it clear to people they shouldn't be drinking and driving."
Cliffside Pub owner Thelma Yamaguchi is also considering launching a shuttle service because of the low sales, potentially in conjunction with the Ocean Port.
"It is definitely impacting our business - people just don't come out or if they do they have one drink and head home," she said.
"You can't blame people though - it really makes a person think 'Do I really want to go out and pay for drinks, food and the taxi home' because that's quite a chunk of money."
Chances Casino pre-empted the new penalties by launching the first shuttle service in town in July "so that our customers could have the option to leave their vehicles at home, have a good time and return safely," said marketing manager Bianca Peters.
Peters said the service has been well-utilized, and last week the business released a detailed schedule of shuttle departures and location pick-ups and drop-offs.
But a shuttle service is not the answer for all local businesses. The Copper House Restaurant tried it last summer, but after only four requests for its use, owner Ryan Liebrecht decided to call it quits.
"It's unfortunate because I think it was something that really should have been utilized more, but financially it didn't make sense for us to offer it anymore."
He said since the new laws came into effect, the average guest cheque has dropped because people are having one drink instead of two with a meal because they're worried.
"The new drinking laws are definitely taking a toll on the restaurant industry - it's been a pretty hard year with the HST and the new drinking laws," said Liebrecht.
Howe Sound Brew Pub manager Allison Nicol said the restaurant isn't considering the shuttle idea despite taking a financial hit.
"By losing money with the business already, it's kind of hard to put it somewhere else like a shuttle," she said.
Nicol said an obvious difference is everyone ordering glasses of beer instead of pints. And even personally, she's found she isn't going out as much.
However, Nicol said take home beer purchases have gone up quite a bit, likely because people are choosing to drink at home.
