Changes to impaired driving laws

Alberta’s impaired driving laws are changing effective December 1, 2020. A new Roadside Sanction program will keep our roads safer by providing serious and immediate consequences for all impaired drivers. Read Freeing up police and courts to make Alberta safer for more information.

Additional resources:

Overview

Alberta driving records are maintained in accordance with the Traffic Safety Act and provincial regulations.

Demerit points are recorded against your driving record when you are convicted of a driving offence. You are considered convicted of an offence when you:

  • pay the fine on your ticket
  • appear in court and are found guilty
  • fail to appear in court and are found guilty in absence

Your conviction date is not the date you received the ticket. It is the date when any one of the above 3 actions occurs.

The Demerit Point Program and Service of Documents Regulation in the Traffic Safety Act explains how demerit points are assigned in Alberta. They are applied to your driver record on your conviction date and the demerit points remain on your driving record/abstract for 2 years from the date of conviction.

Schedules 1 and 2 of the Demerit Point Program and Service of Documents Regulation of the Traffic Safety Act lists all Alberta driving offences carrying demerit points.

A driver abstract displays a driver’s history within a specified time period. You can get a driver abstract for a 3, 5 or 10 year period. The information included on your driver’s abstract will be based on the time period (3, 5 or 10 years) and the conviction date of the driving-related offence. You can get a driver abstract from any Alberta registry agent to confirm your demerit point status.

Contact

Connect with Driver Fitness and Monitoring:

Driver fitness monitoring contact form

Phone: 780-427-8230
Toll free: 310-0000 before the phone number (in Alberta)

Hours: 8:15 am to 12:00 pm, and 1:00 pm to 4:30 pm (open Monday to Friday, closed statutory holidays)