Court System Overwhelmed With Impaired Driving Cases

By Author: Kevin Douglas
Total Articles: 13
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Impaired driving is one of the most significant issues on Canadian roadways as each year thousands of people risk their lives and the lives of others by operating a vehicle after drinking alcohol. Reports suggest that in the past decade in Canada, 2,000 deaths and more than 50,000 injuries have been directly linked to incidents involving impaired driving.

The consequences of impaired driving collisions are steep, burdening health care and emergency response systems and resulting in significant damage to individuals’ property.

Under the Criminal Code of Canada, about 17,000 drivers are convicted each year of impaired-related offences including: impaired driving, driving with a blood alcohol concentration of more than 0.08, criminal negligence causing bodily harm or death, manslaughter, dangerous driving and failure to remain at the scene of a collision.

Figures highlight how prominent the problem is in Ontario with impaired driving accounting for up to 25% of all fatalities on Ontario roads. In Ontario, in 2010 alone, about 17,000 impaired driving incidents were reported by police. In the same year, at ...
... least 175 people were killed and 3,800 were injured in collisions involving an impaired driver.

Those facing impaired driving charges are encouraged to seek the advice of an experienced defence lawyer. Defendants who face charges related to an incident in Toronto should consider hiring the Best Criminal Lawyer in Toronto. The Best Criminal Lawyer in Toronto can help an individual navigate the court system and better understand seemingly simple concepts that become complex in a legal context.

A lawyer will help make clear the Consequences of a Criminal Conviction. A lawyer will also help a defendant understand that an impaired driving charge is laid when the measurement of alcohol in blood surpasses a legally-established limit. Blood alcohol concentration provides a measure of impairment and defines whether or not an individual is legally impaired.

In Canada, a driver is legally impaired if he or she has 80 millilitres of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood (0.08) and is subject to be charged. In addition, research shows that drivers with a blood alcohol above 0.05, but below 0.08, are more than seven times more likely to be in a fatal collision than drivers who have no alcohol in their system. In 2010, about 16% of drinking drivers killed in Ontario had a blood alcohol concentration of less than 0.08.

With the help of an experienced criminal lawyer, defendants are better positioned to receive fair treatment in the court system.

Author Bio:

The author of this article is affiliated with Kostman & Pyzer Barristers Toronto Criminal Lawyers, a Toronto criminal defence lawyers firm serving clients in the Greater Toronto area and elsewhere in the province of Ontario. For more information visit ; - torontodefencelawyers.com