Charges Defended > Impaired Driving
For most drivers, the experience of being charged under one of Ontario’s strict driving laws: Impaired driving, “Over 80″ and impaired care or control, is often only made worse once the realities of the consequences of conviction or a plea of guilty set-in. The consequences can be extremely severe and can include:
- Driving Prohibition (which may be significant if you require a car to get to work)
- Jail sentence
- Completion of a mandatory provincial assessment course program (“Back on Track”)
- Increase in insurance payments (up to multiple times what you currently pay)
- Mandatory installation of an ignition control device
- A criminal record which can effect current and future employment opportunities, your ability to travel outside Canada, and your immigration status
Because of the complexity of this area of law, you may have several valid defenses to your impaired driving charge, including the violation of your rights under our Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
In addition to the consequences set out above, the stigma of a criminal record, the hardship of being “processed” through our criminal justice system, the potential consequences for your work, your family, your reputation, and at worst, your freedom are significant. Know your rights. If you or a friend or family member have been charged with an impaired driving offense, contact the firm at 416.877.LAW1 (5291) to speak with a criminal lawyer defending impaired driving charges in the Toronto area. Your first consultation is always free.
What is the new “Warn Range” in Ontario for Drinking and Driving?
In May 2009, Ontario enacted measures for punishing with drivers caught with a blood alcohol concentration between fifty milligrams of alcohol in one hundred millilitres of blood to eighty milligrams of alcohol in one hundred millilitres of blood. These measures mandate that a first-timer caught with a blood alcohol level between 0.05 to 0.08 now faces a three-day licence suspension and a $150 fine. Motorists caught a second time (within five years) face a one-week suspension and will have to attend an alcohol education program (Back on Track) and pay a $150 fine. Penalties for those caught a third time include a loss of their licence for a month and the installation of an ignition interlock device for six-months.
Where can I learn more about Impaired Driving?
Impaired driving law remains one of the most complicated and litigated areas of criminal law. You can contact the firm to discuss specific issues involving impaired driving laws.
