Photo: SriMesh, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Saskatchewan has zero tolerance for alcohol for new drivers and zero tolerance for drugs, including cannabis, for every driver. A new driver caught with any detectable amount faces a 60-day roadside licence suspension and a 3-day vehicle impoundment on a first offence, plus a required program and a Safe Driver Recognition penalty. This guide explains who counts as a new driver, the penalty chart, and how Criminal Code charges add to it.
Who is a “new driver” in Saskatchewan?
For zero tolerance, SGI treats you as a new driver if any of these apply:
- you are 21 or under
- you hold a Learner (Class 7) licence
- you are a Class 5 Novice 1 or Novice 2 driver
- you hold Endorsement 6, M1 or M2 (while riding a motorcycle)
- you have had no licence in the last five years
- you are an out-of-country driver whose equivalent class cannot be determined
- you hold a restricted or provisional licence
So a 21-year-old with a full licence is still a new driver for alcohol. Experienced drivers (22 and over, out of GDL, Class 5 or higher) face roadside sanctions from .04 BAC instead.
New driver roadside penalties (zero to .08 BAC, or drugs)
Penalties count offences over a 10-year look-back. Figures are from the 2026-27 Saskatchewan Driver’s Handbook.
| 1st offence | 2nd offence | 3rd and later | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roadside licence suspension | 60 days | 120 days | 18 months |
| Vehicle impoundment | 3 days | 7 days | 14 days |
| Impoundment with passengers under 16 | 7 days | 30 days | 60 days |
| Required program | Driving Without Impairment (DWI) | Alcohol and Drug Education (ADE) | Addictions assessment |
| Ignition interlock | None | Voluntary; 120 days once installed, after serving 60 days | Mandatory; 365 days, after serving 365 days |
| Safe Driver Recognition | -4 points | -4 points | -4 points |
DWI and ADE must be completed within 120 days of the suspension start. Once a voluntary interlock is installed, it must stay in for the full period.
What -4 SDR points cost
If the drop takes you below zero on SGI’s safety rating scale, you pay $50 for every point into the Penalty Zone. See GDL Improvement and Safe Driver Recognition. For a GDL driver, the suspension also puts you in the GDL Improvement program and restarts a Novice 2 incident-free period.
Once you are an experienced driver
From age 22, out of GDL and on Class 5 or higher, these roadside penalties apply over .04 to .08 BAC or for drugs. Holders of an ignition interlock restricted, special restricted or provisional licence get the new driver penalties instead.
| 1st offence | 2nd offence | 3rd and later | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roadside licence suspension | 3 days | 21 days | 90 days |
| Suspension with passengers under 16 | 7 days | 30 days | 120 days |
| Vehicle impoundment | 3 days | 7 days | 14 days |
| Impoundment with passengers under 16 | 7 days | 30 days | 60 days |
| Required program | DWI | ADE | Addictions assessment |
| Ignition interlock | None | None | Mandatory, 365 days |
| Safe Driver Recognition | -4 points | -4 points | -4 points |
Over .08, impaired or refusing: Criminal Code charges
Above .08 BAC, impaired by alcohol or a drug to any degree, over a federal blood drug limit, or refusing a demand are Criminal Code offences for all drivers. Federal limits also cover lower drug levels and alcohol and drugs combined. Police can demand a breath sample without suspecting you have been drinking (mandatory alcohol screening), and failing or refusing a demand without a reasonable excuse is an offence. If they suspect impairment, they can also demand physical coordination tests.
- When charged: immediate indefinite licence suspension until the court case ends. If the charge is alcohol-related, you may reinstate early by voluntarily installing an ignition interlock after serving at least 90 days.
- Vehicle impoundment: 30 days, or 60 days if BAC is .16 or more or you refused.
- If convicted: provincial licence disqualification of 1 year (first conviction in 10 years), 3 years (second) or 5 years (third), plus any court-ordered driving prohibition.
- Financial penalty if convicted: $1,250 (.08 to .159 or impaired) or $2,250 (.16 and over or refusal), and $2,500 for any incident with injury or death.
- Safe Driver Recognition: move to -20, or a minimum of -10.
- Programs: DWI, then ADE, then addictions assessment for later offences.
- Ways back: an ignition interlock special restricted licence, mandatory after some convictions, requires a zero reading before and during driving. A special restricted licence comes through the Highway Traffic Board if a suspension would cause exceptional hardship, once the required program is done and a $75 reinstatement fee is paid.
For how Criminal Code impaired driving works across Canada, see impaired driving in Canada for new drivers.
Cannabis and other drugs
Zero tolerance for drugs applies to new and experienced drivers alike. SGI’s handbook says drug-impaired driving carries the same penalties as alcohol-impaired driving. Cannabis can slow reaction time and cause drowsiness and distorted perception. Prescription and over-the-counter drugs can impair too: if a label warns against operating machinery, don’t drive, and ask a doctor or pharmacist.
What alcohol and drugs do to your driving
- Alcohol hits judgment first, from the first drink, usually without you noticing. Muscle control, including the small muscles of the eye, goes next. Most alcohol-related collisions come from faulty thinking rather than poor steering or braking, so plan your ride home before that first drink.
- SGI’s crash risk figures: 11 times higher at .05 to .09 BAC, 48 times at .10 to .14 and 380 times at .15 or more. The only truly safe BAC is 0%.
- Only time removes alcohol, at about .015% an hour. In SGI’s example, someone in bed at midnight at .25 is still at .085 at 11 a.m.
- Depressants, including sedatives, antihistamines and painkillers, slow reactions and blur vision. Stimulants such as caffeine and amphetamines can make you over-confident, and their effect can wear off suddenly. Cocaine, ecstasy, ketamine, LSD and magic mushrooms distort perception and judgment. No illegal drug improves your driving.
- Alcohol and drugs multiply each other. In SGI’s chart, two drinks with an antihistamine equal 4 to 5 drinks, with a joint 5 to 6, and with Valium or Gravol about 6. A breath reading would still show only the two drinks. One drink means a regular beer, 5 ounces of table wine, 3 ounces of fortified wine or 1.5 ounces of liquor.
- Over 2020 to 2024, impaired drivers were involved in four of every 10 fatal collisions in Saskatchewan. Impaired collisions are most likely between 6 p.m. and 3 a.m.
Students Against Drinking and Driving (SADD), at saddsask.ca, runs student-led programs and encourages teens and parents to agree on always finding a safe, sober ride home.
Scenarios
- Novice 2, age 19, one beer two hours earlier, stopped at a checkstop: any detectable alcohol counts. First offence: 60-day suspension, 3-day impoundment, DWI course, -4 SDR points, and the Novice 2 clock restarts.
- Same, but driving your 14-year-old brother: impoundment rises to 7 days.
- Experienced driver, age 30, cannabis in system: zero tolerance for drugs applies to all drivers, so roadside sanctions apply.
Common questions
What is the legal limit for a new driver in Saskatchewan?
Zero. Any detectable alcohol or drugs.
When does zero tolerance for alcohol end?
When none of the new-driver categories apply: age 22 or over, out of GDL, holding Class 5 or higher.
Whose car gets impounded?
The vehicle you are driving, even if you don’t own it. The owner pays towing and storage, and can recover the cost from the driver.
Can I get an impounded vehicle back early?
Only in limited circumstances, by applying to the Highway Traffic Board. If the vehicle was stolen when it was impounded, contact SGI with the police file number.
Do roadside suspensions as a new driver follow me later?
Yes. First and second roadside suspensions received as a new driver count toward the number of offences once you are an experienced driver.
Related: learning to drive in Saskatchewan, Novice 1 and Novice 2 rules.
Sources
- SGI, “Saskatchewan Driver’s Handbook: A guide to safe driving 2026-27” (sgi.sk.ca)
- SGI, “Graduated Driver Licensing program” (sgi.sk.ca)