What is “impaired” driving?
Impaired driving refers to driving abilities that are compromised as a result of being under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. Any drug that affects your attention, vision, judgment, perception, and/or reflexes, will affect your ability to drive safely.

What drugs impair driving?
Being under the influence of any drug that affects your mood and/or behavior may present an increased driving risk. It does not matter whether the drug/s are legal or illegal. This means that even if your driving is impaired due to an over the counter antihistamine such as allergy medication, you could be charged with impaired driving, just as you would if you been driving while under the influence of alcohol, or illegal drugs such as marijuana, ecstasy, or cocaine. 

What types of affects are associated with impaired driving?
Vision: Eye muscles may relax making it difficult to focus on your surroundings with clarity. In addition, scanning the environment becomes more challenging because your eyes tend move less often because focusing on objects takes longer periods of time to see them clearly.

Judgment, Perception, and Reflexes: Reaction times of driver’s who are impaired are slower due to the brain’s decreased ability to process information efficiently. Impaired driver’s require a longer time frame to process sign’s and signals, as well as be able to anticipate any changes in road conditions or situations, and to react to them accordingly. It takes longer for you to hit the brakes or avoid something in your path like a child or another car.

Statistics indicate that driving with a Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) of .05% to .09% has a 9 times more likely risk associated with being in a fatal car crash. Driving with a BAC at or above .15%, increases the risk of fatality to 300 to 600 times greater. 

What will happen if I am caught driving while impaired?
In Canada, there are both federal and provincial laws against impaired driving. If convicted, one will face both federal and provincial penalties.
(Note: The following information is presented in a generalized summary format. It is suggested that if you require any detailed information you contact a lawyer, or the Driver and Vehicle License Information Office of the Ministry of Transportation.)

Federal
In Canada, under federal law, impaired driving is considered to be a criminal offence. Under the Criminal Code of Canada it is stated that a person can be charged with impaired driving even if it looks as though they are going to drive while being under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. That means that a person can be charged even if they are not actually driving their motor vehicle, but just sitting stationary in a parking lot or driveway, for example. If one is in care or control of a motor vehicle, while their ability to drive appears to be impaired, and there is potential for them to actually drive in that given state, the police can charge you with impaired driving.

A police officer can charge a motorist with impaired driving if they feel that the driver’s ability to drive is impaired. This means that it is not necessary that one provide a blood or breath test to prove whether one is impaired or not. If a motorist has slurred speech, is driving inadequately, has poor co-ordination, or has alcohol on their breath, they can be charged with impaired driving. In Canada driving with a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .08% or above (80+ mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood), you can be charged with impaired driving. 

Impaired driving charges can also be implemented if a motorist refuses to provide a blood or breath sample, if one’s impaired driving causes bodily harm, or if one’s impaired driving causes death.

Following conviction, the federal consequences vary in severity depending on the nature of the charge, with regards to fines, driving prohibitions, and imprisonment. 

Provincial
In Ontario, the Ontario Highway Traffic Act allows police the authority to stop any vehicle to see if the driver has been drinking. If the driver has a BAC higher than .05% (but less than .08%), then a 12-hour driver’s license suspension will be ordered.

If the driver has a BAC of .08% or above, or refuses to comply with issuing a blood or breath sample, then they will be charged with impaired driving. Their license will immediately be suspended for 90 days (Administrative Driver’s License Suspension).

Following a conviction, the provincial consequences require that your license be suspended for a minimum of one year, to a maximum of a lifetime driving prohibition, depending on the number of previous impaired driving convictions. In addition you must also complete an information program about impaired driving, in order to have your license reinstated.

Why do people still drink and drive, despite knowing the risks? 
People risk fines, driving prohibitions, incarceration, injury, and death, when they drive while being impaired. One’s beliefs about being impaired, as well as given situations, affect the behavior of a person deciding that they will drive having engaged in alcohol and/or drug use.

Often people who are impaired have a sense of feeling over-confident about their driving abilities. They feel nothing will happen to them. This false sense of power leads to risk-taking behavior such as impaired driving. In addition, people believe that because they have driven without any problems in the past while under the influence, that they are capable of handling themselves. Often because short-term thinking is compromised, a person may feel it is too inconvenient to leave their car, or call a cab. This way of thinking is shortsighted and dangerous. 

Incidents of impaired driving usually derive from lack of planning for the unexpected, and people setting themselves up for a situation to occur. It is always a good idea to be realistic about the fact that if you are going to drink, then driving should not be an option. 

How can I prevent a drinking a driving situation from occurring? 
If you plan to drink it is a good idea not to drive. Some ways to ensure that are:

• Leaving your vehicle at home, this minimizes the opportunity that you will drive.

• Have money available should an unexpected situation occur and you need to rely on a taxi or bus service.

• Keep numbers of reliable persons you can contact should you require transportation in an emergency situation.

• Rotate assigning a responsible, reliable person, who will not drink at all to be the designated driver.

• Learn how to identify, avoid, and refuse opportunities and situations that would encourage drinking behavior.

• Practice different ways to convey saying “no” in a firm and meaningful manner (it is easier said than done).

• If at an establishment where you have been drinking, ask that they call you a taxi; if you have no money arrange a payment plan so that you can “borrow” the money to be transported home.
  

For help with drug or alcohol abuse contact 
the Teen Health Centre at (519) 253-8481 and
ask to speak to a drug and alcohol counsellor