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Alcohol and the Law

Alcohol and the Law. Ontario. Why Talk About This?. Impaired driving is a deadly and persistent problem in Canada. On average, it claims between 1,250 and 1,500 lives and causes close to 64,000 injuries in Canada each year.

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Alcohol and the Law

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  1. Alcohol and the Law Ontario

  2. Why Talk About This? • Impaired driving is a deadly and persistent problem in Canada. On average, it claims between 1,250 and 1,500 lives and causes close to 64,000 injuries in Canada each year. • Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among 15 to 25 year olds, and alcohol is a factor in 50% of those crashes.

  3. Why Talk About This? • It doesn’t just happen on the roads. Every year, people are also killed on boats, ATVs and snowmobiles because the operators and/or riders are impaired. • The excuses for driving impaired are plentiful.  “I’ve only had a few”. “I feel fine to drive”. “I’m only going down the street”. But they are also meaningless when that driver kills or injures someone. • The deaths and injuries caused by impaired driving are 100% preventable.

  4. Remember… • It is NEVER okay to drink and drive. • Everyone should aim to have a B.A.C. of ZERO if they are driving. • Even a small amount of alcohol can affect your driving.

  5. Ontario's Drinking And Driving Law As of May 1, 2009, if you are found to have a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) from 0.05 to 0.08 (the "warn range") while driving you will: • Have your driver's licence suspended for three days the first time you are caught. • Have your driver's licence suspended for seven days and have to attend an alcohol education program the second time you are caught.   • Have your driver's license suspended for 30 days, complete a remedial alcohol treatment program and have an ignition interlock condition placed on your driver's licence for six months. • *Administration fines/penalties ($).

  6. Young Drivers • In Ontario, young drivers have a .00% B.A.C. requirement. This requirement lasts until you turn 21 years of age. • These special rules for young drivers reflect the very serious increases risks seen when young people mix drinking and driving. • For more on Ontario’s Graduating Licensing Requirements visit: https://www.ontario.ca/driving-and-roads/get-g-drivers-licence-new-drivers

  7. Quick Facts • You don’t need to have a 0.08 blood alcohol concentration to be impaired. Smaller amounts of alcohol can impair driving ability. Statistics show that drivers whose BAC is from 0.05 to 0.08 are about seven times more likely to be involved in a fatal collision than someone who has not been drinking. • In 2005, one of every six fatally injured drinking drivers had a BAC of less than 0.08.

  8. It is a crime… • As of August 1, 2010, if you are a fully licensed driver who is 21 and under or a novice driver and are caught with any alcohol in your blood, you will receive an immediate 24-hour roadside driver licence suspension and, if convicted, you will face a fine of $60-$500 and a 30-day licence suspension. • You will also have to return to the start of Graduated Licensing System. (G1 driver, G2 then G).

  9. Consequences in Detail • http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/safety/impaired/penalties.shtml • Individuals who drive while under suspension for a Criminal Code driving offence face stiff fines ranging from $5,000 to $50,000.

  10. $$$ What It Could Cost You: • Drinking and driving is an expensive gamble. • Drivers who are suspended at roadside for registering a BAC from 0.05 to 0.08 or registering a BAC sample over 0.08 are subject to a $150 Administrative Monetary Penalty. In addition to the possibility of killing or seriously injuring themselves or someone else, convicted drinking drivers also risk serious financial costs: • http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/safety/impaired/part2.shtml#cost

  11. Other Characteristics Among Youth • Males account for 87% of the young fatally injured drinking drivers in Canada and 89% of the seriously injured drinking drivers. • Young drinking drivers are most likely to be killed or injured in the summer (and on weekends). • The vast majority of young drinking drivers die or are seriously injured in crashes at night.

  12. Drug-Impaired Driving • Canadians between 14-25 years old have one of the highest rates of cannabis use in the world. It’s the drug they use most after alcohol. Cannabis includes marijuana, hashish and/or hash oil. • Most young people see cannabis as being far less dangerous than alcohol. • They think driving under the influence of cannabis is risk free. Research says otherwise.

  13. Drug-Impaired Driving cont. • The evidence shows that cannabis can shorten attention span, alter perception of time and distance and slow reaction times – all of which impair the driver’s ability to respond to sudden events in traffic. • Survey data from a 2013 report showed that, among young Ontario drivers in grades 10-12, 4% drove after drinking while 9.7% drove after smoking cannabis.

  14. Drug-Impaired Driving cont. • A 2012 study by researchers at Dalhousie University in Halifax found that smoking cannabis three hours before driving nearly doubled a driver’s risk of having a motor vehicle crash. • Combining cannabis with even small amounts of alcohol greatly increases the negative impact on driving skills. • Driving while high results in the same type of Criminal Code charges and penalities as driving while drunk.

  15. Sources • All information came from the Government of Ontario’s website and the MADD Canada website. Nov. 2014.

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