The report cards are in.

Though the Yukon has pulled up its marks, it still has a ways to go in initiatives to fight drinking and driving, says Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).

The Yukon ranked seventh in the country with a mark of a C+ compared to the C- it earned in the last ranking in 2003, when it placed sixth in the country. Prior to that, it earned a D+ ranking and placed ninth.

Manitoba topped the list of regions with a mark of A-. That was followed by Ontario with a B, then Newfoundland and Labrador, Alberta, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, all with a B-.

British Columbia joined the Yukon in getting a mark of C+. Quebec was the only province to get a C.

Prince Edward Island received a D+, with New Brunswick earning a D.

Finally, Nunavut was the only region to fail.

'This isn't about grades; it's about saving lives,' MADD's CEO, Andrew Murie, said in an interview from Toronto last Thursday.

While the Yukon has taken steps on some of the items MADD looked at in grading each jurisdiction, Murie said, it has yet to become a leader on the issue, as Manitoba has done.

In considering each of the provinces and territories, MADD looked at whether there was:

• A comprehensive graduated licencing program for new drivers with police authority to enforce it;

• A zero per cent blood alcohol limit for all drivers under age 21 or with fewer than five years' driving experience;

• Police powers to stop vehicles, have sobriety checkpoints and demand sobriety testing from suspected impaired drivers;

• A strengthening of the roadside suspensions so that drivers with blood alcohol levels of 0.05 or higher would have their licence suspended for seven to 14 days with a $150 to $300 licence reinstatement fee. MADD also wants the suspension to be recorded on the driver's record, with mandatory programs for repeat violations; and

• Mandatory alcohol interlock (a device requiring drivers to provide a breath sample before they can start their car), vehicle impoundment and programming.

'The Yukon scored well for its vehicle impoundment program and relatively well for its alcohol interlock program,' the study notes.

'It scored poorly for its police enforcement powers, elements of its short-term administrative licence suspension, and its licence abstract and remedial programs. In addition, it needs to introduce a 24-hour suspension for unfitness and introduce vehicle forfeiture.'

Going into further detail on licensing, MADD pointed out that a graduated licensing program is in place with the minimum driving age at 15.

The minimum two-year program includes regulations for the learner/novice stage drivers and their supervising passenger to have no alcohol or drugs in their systems as well as other passenger and time-of-day regulations.

However, there are no high-speed roadway restrictions. Under the demerit point system, learner and novice drivers in the territory are subject to a lower point threshold.

As for police enforcement, MADD noted there's no statutory authority for police to demand that drivers stop their vehicle and demand documentation, to demand a driver suspected of having alcohol or drugs in their system do a sobriety test or demand a breath, blood, saliva or urine sample from someone suspected of having been a driver in a fatal or personal injury crash.

Yukon legislation also doesn't authorize police to suspend a licence for 24 hours because the driver is unfit to drive for reasons other than alcohol or drug impairment.

They also aren't authorized to issue a seven- to 14-day suspension.

They can, however, suspend a licence for 24 hours if they have grounds to believe a driver is impaired.

Murie noted the 24-hour licence and vehicle suspensions have little impact, as they can be seen as an inconvenience. To lose a vehicle for two weeks would likely have more consequences.

'That has a huge impact on your life,' he said.

While impaired driving offenders aren't required to complete a remedial program, they can have their licence disqualification revoked early by completing such a program.

Most repeat offenders won't be issued a new licence until they finish an alcohol assessment program and the three-day Driving Without Impairment course.

With the grading done every three years and smaller updates performed annually, Murie said, he would like to see two things done in the Yukon before the next report card is done in 2009.

Along with a regulation that either no drivers under the age of 21 or no drivers in their first five years of having their licence can have alcohol in their system, Murie said MADD also wants to see each province and territory adopt the 14-day roadside suspension policy for anything more than a 0.05 blood alcohol level.

He believes if that's done in all jurisdictions, the death toll from crashes would drop 25 to 30 per cent.

After a recent meeting with territorial government officials, Murie said, MADD will be watching to see where the re-elected Yukon Party government takes the ideas presented.

'We'll wait to see if there's some promise from that meeting,' he said.