Impaired drivers with children in car could face harsher consequences in Sask.

Saskatchewan drivers with a blood alcohol concentrationover 0.04 with children in their vehicle couldface harsher penalties.

An amendment to the Traffic Safety Act was introducedThursday for its first reading,outlining what measures people transporting children under 16 are subject to if caught driving impaired. They involvea seven-day roadside suspension and seizure of their vehicle upon their first offence.

As it stands, animpaired driver faces a three-day suspension and seizure of their vehicle upon their first offence.

• 'Complacent' Sask. needs stricter impaired driving penalties
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JoeHargrave, minister of multiple Crown corporations including SGI, said the ideacame from Manitoba.

"As I mentioned before, we're going to continue to look at things that are going to affect impaired driving,"saidHargrave.

Repeat offenders could also face harsher consequences.

Under the proposed legislation, second time offenders will have their carsimpoundedfor 30 days, instead of seven. For third time offenders the time frame goes up to 60 days, instead of 14.

• Regina man 4 times legal limit arrested while driving kids to school

In September, a Regina Police Service traffic officer pulled over animpaired man driving his children to school. The man's blood alcohol concentration was four times the legal limit.

The officer tweeted about the incident.

Hargrave said he was already looking into increasing the penalties at thetime but said thatexample was certainly in his mind.

"What could have happened to those kids, the thought just scares me," said Hargrave.

Opposition critic Carla Beck saidthe measure is a step in the right direction but more needs to be done.

"We have the highest rates of drunk driving in the country persistently and it is important that we address them," said Beck.

She added that changes in law arean important part of the equation.However, she said enforcement and education are crucial in curbing the high rates of drunk driving.

"Laws are part of it, but that changing of culture, public awareness and enforcement I think also have to be a piece of it," said Beck.

The current legislationstill allows for drivers to consumesome alcohol before driving withchildren. Hargravesaid he's not closed to the idea of a zero tolerancepolicy.

"We don't think we have to go to zero just at this point but it's something that we're going to continue to look at," he said.