(Photo credit: Daniel Stockman/Creative Commons)
With the holiday season upon us and many festive parties to attend, it’s important that you come up with a plan on how to get home without drinking and driving.
At the beginning of November, the OPP has launched its Festive RIDE campaign, which aims to keep impaired drivers, both alcohol and drug impaired, off the roads.
“The OPP’s goal is to get through the holiday season without losing a single life to impaired driving,” said OPP Commissioner Vince Hawkes, in a press release. “We will use a combination of public education and focused enforcement to drive home the message that impaired driving on Ontario roads is never acceptable.”
If you are caught driving with a Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of 0.05 to 0.08, your license will be suspended for three days, which takes effect right away, and you’ll face a $150 fine, if it’s your first offense. The penalties are also harsher if you’re a repeat offender.
Drunk drivers face a higher likelihood of being involved in an accident, which may harm innocent drivers. Earlier this year in March, a Hamilton man was sentenced to five years in jail, after he killed a jogger when he was driving while impaired. When police arrested the man at the scene, his BAC was three times over the legal limit, marijuana was found in his possession and it was discovered that he was driving without insurance, according to CBC News. He was also sentenced to a lifetime ban on driving and two $1,000 fines, one for driving without insurance and other for driving without an interlock device (which implies he had a history of impaired driving).
In August of 2011, a 23-year-old was killed after the vehicle she was driving was hit by a drunk driver who had left rehab. The woman was on her way to a country concert with a friend when their vehicle was struck head on. The driver of the other vehicle had 90 to 129 mg of alcohol in his system, a sedating drug that intensified the alcohol’s effects and he was possibly texting while driving, according to the Toronto Sun.
By the end of September 2014, the OPP charged 5,685 drivers with impaired driving, which dropped from 6,842 impaired charges during the same period last year. But, there’s been a 32 per cent rise in drug impaired driving charges this year compared to last year. With more drivers facing drug impaired driving, a national panel is looking into roadside drug screening devices.
There are too many risks involved if you are caught drinking and driving. First, you are risking the lives of innocent people. Second, you are placing your own life at risk and lastly, you can also risk higher insurance costs. If you happen to be convicted, some insurance companies won’t insure you for three years afterwards, according to the Globe and Mail. Your only option is to buy facility insurance, which could cost you an extra $8,000 a year compared to normal insurance.
If someone you know insists on driving after drinking, you should notify the police so they’re able to take the driver off the road. Before heading to a celebration, establish a designated driver, use public transportation to arrive home safely or call a taxi.
Motor vehicle accidents happen and accident benefits are available to anyone involved in a motor vehicle accident regardless of who caused the accident. The personal injury and accident lawyers at Neinstein Personal Injury Lawyers have been dealing with all accident related issues throughout Ontario for over 45 years. We know how to get you the compensation that you deserve and get your life back in order after being in a car accident. Call us at 416-920-4242, set up a free consultation, and come speak with us.