Attention All Drivers!
Written by Cassie Licari & Dominique Houle on 18/08/10
Photo by Emma on Flickr
“But I only had one beer – I’m fine. I’m nowhere near the legal limit so I won’t get in trouble, right?”
Wrong.
As of August 1st, 2010, in Ontario it is officially against the law for youth 21 and under to have any alcohol in their system and then operate a motorized vehicle. Zero-tolerance legislation has been enacted to prevent youth from driving with a blood-alcohol level above zero, regardless of whether they have their G1, G2 or G class license. “What we’re doing is teaching young drivers from a very young age that road safety is a priority and a responsibility that has to be shared by everybody,” said Toronto police Traffic Sgt. Tim Burrows (CityNews).
Car crashes are the number one cause of death for youth in Canada (MADD), and between 2000 and 2010, 235 drivers who were under the age of 21 were killed in alcohol-related driving collisions in Ontario (Ontario Ministry of Transportation). A similar law for youth has been in practice in Manitoba for several years now, and there has been a significant decrease in the number of youth who die in alcohol-related collisions (Government of Manitoba).
If youth 21 or under are caught driving with any alcohol in their bloodstream, their driver’s license will be taken away from them for anywhere between 24 hours and 30 days, and/or they may face up to $500 in fines (Ontario Ministry of Transportation). If someone is caught a second time, his or her license could be revoked for 90 days… and if the same person is caught driving with any amount of alcohol in his or her body for the third time, their license could be revoked indefinitely. Also, if caught driving with a blood-alcohol level between 0.05 and 0.08, youth could lose their license for 3 days or more. Finally, anyone who drives with a blood-alcohol level higher than 0.08 is committing a serious criminal offence under the Criminal Code, and will face harsh legal penalties (City News).
Youth Challenges Law
A 20 year-old business student from the University of Western Ontario, Kevin Wiener, is standing up against this new law. He claims that it is discriminatory, ageist and fails to abide by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which prohibits discrimination based on age.
“As a young person, I don’t feel it’s fair for the government (to do this). I’ve been driving for four years, I have a clean driving record, I have no demerit points ever and the government’s saying that because I’m 20, I can’t be trusted to have a glass of wine with dinner,” says Wiener in response to the new law, who has filed an application in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (The Star). Wiener suggests that the Manitoba law may be more appropriate for Ontario. In Manitoba, those who are within their first five years of driving are prohibited from driving with any alcohol in their system – this includes not only youth, but adults who choose to get their license later on in life (The Star).
If you are unsure of this new law or have any questions, talk to a police officer in your community, or check out the links below.
Links
Ontario Provincial Police
Ontario Ministry of Transportation
Road Safety Act 2009
Safer Roads for a Safer Ontario 2007
The Star
City News
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health