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Drug Use, Drinking & Driving
Facts & Figures
- Over 1,000 Canadians - impaired and sober - die each year in alcohol-related crashes.
- In Ontario, 45 per cent of deadly crashes involving young people ages 15 to 24 were alcohol-related.
- 26 per cent of students report riding in a vehicle with a driver who was drinking alcohol; 22 per cent report riding with a driver who was using drugs.
- In 2007, roughly 1.8 million Canadians said they had driven when they felt they were over the legal limit of alcohol consumption.
- 2.9 per cent of drivers have driven a vehicle within one hour of smoking marijuana. (This estimate represents over 200,000 drivers in Ontario or one in every 34 drivers.)
- For more information, visit follow CAMH and Why Drive High?
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Crashes involving drinking and drug use cost the Canadian public more than $10.6 billion a year in health-care costs, property damage and lost wages.
Useful Links
| The Best Plan |
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If you are going to consume any amount of alcohol or drugs, Don't Drive! |
Blood Alcohol Concentration
Impairment begins with the first drink. Alcohol and drugs impair:
- Thinking
- Judgment
- Perception
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Reaction Time
To learn how alcohol and other drugs affect your driving, please check Alcohol, Other Drugs and Driving on the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health website.
Ontario's Drinking & Driving Law
Ontario's Drinking and Driving Law changed May 1, 2009. If you've been drinking and your blood alcohol concentration registers from .05 to .08 on a roadside breath test, you will lose your driver's licence for three to 30 days.
Remember: Depending on how much you have had to drink, you may still be impaired when you wake up.
New Drivers
Please visit Smashed: A Sober Look at Drinking & Driving on the Transport Canada website.
The Law and Young Drivers
Ontario's new zero blood alcohol level for drivers 21 years of age or younger came into effect Aug. 1, 2010. For more information, please visit The Law .
Novice drivers of any age and all drivers 21 and under must have zero blood alcohol level when driving. Consequences include:
- An immediate 24-hour licence suspension.
- A further 30-day licence suspension on conviction.
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Up to $500 in fines.
Novice drivers in the Graduated Licensing System are already required to maintain a zero blood alcohol level while driving. These drivers will face tougher penalties if they violate the conditions of their licence or if they are convicted of any Highway Traffic Act offences that carry four or more demerit points.
Penalties include:
- 30-day licence suspension for the first instance.
- 90-day licence suspension for the second instance.
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Further instances can lead to a cancellation of the licence and other penalties.
These changes are part of the Road Safety Act 2009 and will keep drivers safe on Ontario roads.
Quick Facts
- The peak ages of drinking and driving collisions are 19 to 21.
- Drivers aged 19 to 21 are almost 1.5 times as likely to be involved in alcohol-related crashes resulting in deaths and/or injuries.
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In Ontario, 235 drivers age 21 and under were killed in drinking and driving collisions in the latest 10-year period for which statistics are available.
Consequences of Drinking, Drug Use & Driving
- Death
- Injury
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Permanent disability, including loss of income.
- Humiliation
- Loss or suspension of licence.
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Cost: up to $21,000 in insurance, court costs, etc.
Good Practices
If you hold a party, make a plan for the people who will be drinking.
Follow the Low Risk Drinking Guidelines Please visit Safe Party Planning
Impairment Affects Other Activities Too
Boating
Drowning is the most common alcohol-related boating injury, accounting for about 40 per cent of boating deaths. For more information, visit the Ontario Ministry of Transportation website.
ATV/Snow Mobiles
Alcohol was found to be a factor in 40 per cent of snowmobile deaths in Ontario in 2000/2001.
Biking
Between 1995 and 2000, 31 per cent of cycling hospitalizations had a positive blood-alcohol concentration. Please visit the Ontario Injury Prevention Resource Centre.
Walking (Pedestrians)
Of 247 fatally injured pedestrians who were tested for alcohol use, 40.5 per cent had been drinking. The majority of people found to have been drinking had blood alcohol concentrations over the legal driving limit.
Take Action
MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving)
OSAID (Ontario Students Against Impaired Driving)
CAMH (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health)
