Drunk Driving Ontario
One of the biggest causes of motor vehicle fatalities in North America is driving while under the influence of alcohol. Drunk driving in Ontario had reached alarming heights when new laws were passed in May of 2009. Now Ontario has some of the strictest DUI laws in Canada and surprisingly enough the US too. If you plan on driving in the Ontario area you should not even consider drinking as the penalties for DUI can range for severe fines to time in jail. Any time you have been drinking and get behind the wheel of a car, you can be charged with drunk driving in Ontario. You can be pulled over and given a field sobriety test which will determine your blood alcohol level.
If you decide that you would prefer to refuse the field sobriety test, you license will be automatically suspended right there on the side of the road and you will need to make other arrangements to get your vehicle home. The blood alcohol level for drunk driving in Ontario ranges from 0.05 to 0.08 BAC. This means that if you have between 50 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood you will be determined to be under the influence and cited for DUI. You will most likely lose your driver’s license on the spot. You can lose it for a period of 3, 7 or 30 days depending on your record. Once you have been cited for drunk driving it will stay on your driving record for the next five years. If the level of alcohol in your blood is found to be in excess of 0.08 or you decide to refuse the field sobriety test you are likely to be arrested for drunk driving in Ontario.
You will have to appear before a judge who will most likely convict you under the Criminal Code relating to drinking and driving. This conviction will remain on your driving record for the next ten years. Your car will be impounded at the time of your arrest and you will have to pay for all towing charges and for a minimum of 45 days impoundment. According to a recent search of records over 17,000 people are convicted of drunk driving in Ontario every year. A recent survey shows that over 25% of all motor vehicle related fatalities are the direct result of someone who has been drinking and driving. It is numbers like these that have led Ontario to pass some of the strictest DUI laws in North America. If you find yourself arrested and charged with drunk driving in Ontario, you should retain the services of an attorney. At TYA Law you will find a staff of dedicated lawyers who are very familiar with Ontario DUI laws. They will do everything they can within the auspices of the Canadian Criminal Code to either have the charges dropped or to have the judge set the fines as low as possible. It is their job to keep you out of jail so that you can continue to work and take care of your family while you make restitution to the courts.
