Drugs, Alcohol and Driving
"driving under the influence"
"I was taking a prescription from my doctor, I never knew I couldn't drive"
Any drug that changes your mood, or the way you see and feel, will affect the way you drive. This is not only true for illegal drugs. There are prescription drugs and some over-the-counter drugs that can also impair your driving ability.
Tips to remember
- If you are planning on drinking, plan not to drive.
- Ask your doctor about side effects if you use prescription medication or get allergy shots.
- Read the information on the package of any over-the-counter medicine, including allergy and cold remedies.
- Drugs and alcohol together can combine to impair your driving even more drastically; ask your doctor or pharmacist.
Remember, fatigue and stress will also affect your ability to drive.
You will be subject to a roadside test if the officer has reason to believe you are under the influence, you will face the charge of Impaired and driving under the influence should you be deemed impaired by the testing officer.
Call to schedule an appointment
Toronto & GTA Call 289.481.1007- Outside GTA Call 1-877-497-3927
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"Ontario Criminal Lawyers Who Defend Impaired Driving Charges"
Serving Most Regions in Ontario
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IDDC - Defending Drinking & Driving Charges Across Ontario
Read Frequently Asked Questions About DUI Charges & Penalties in Ontario:
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An officer requires sufficient grounds to make a lawful demand for a breath sample to be provided either at the roadside or the station. Furthermore at the roadside your legal jeopardy has to be clearly explained to you and, in circumstances where there are multiple attempts to provide a sample, you must be informed about your “last chance” before being charged. In circumstances where a motorist is deemed to have “refused” to provide a sample due to various failed attempts the Crown also has to show that the machine was in proper working order. -
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The real issue in these cases is not whether you are “impaired” in any way but rather whether the Crown can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that your ability to operate a motor vehicle is impaired. Sometimes there may be an innocence explanation for irregular driving such as fatigue, illness or distraction. Other times evidence of bad driving might be offset by a review of the police station video which betrays no obvious indicia of impairment. -
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There are multiple and sometimes very technical defences to this charge. Apart from operator error or machine malfunction, which can revealed through a careful analysis of breath device records, these cases are often successfully defended based on investigative lapses or constitutional violations. It is a criminal offence to operate a motor vehicle while your blood alcohol level is over the legal limit of: 80 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood. -
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Although the law sanctions the arbitrary detention of motorists to conduct sobriety checks you are not obliged to incriminate yourself when questioned about drinking. This is because you are detained and haven’t been provided with your right to counsel. Although any statements you make in such circumstances can’t be used against you at trial that’s cold comfort at the roadside because an admission of consumption is admissible for the purposes of an officer’s grounds to make a demand for a roadside breath demand. That demand as well as the test must both be done promptly however to withstand constitutional scrutiny. -
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The “free ride” for those driving while under the influence of drugs is now also over. Currently the police have the power to demand a suspect accompany them to the station for a drug evaluation test where they suspect impairment by drugs. Legislation is now also in the works to implement roadside technology to test for drug impairment that would be a similar tool to a breathalyzer, which measures blood alcohol levels. The obvious defence in these cases is whether the officer conducted such tests properly and whether he is properly qualified to render an expert opinion on sobriety -
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You don’t actually have to be driving a motor vehicle to be charged with “DUI”. You can be arrested simply if you are behind the wheel of a parked car but the Crown will have to show that the vehicle was operable and that there was a real risk of danger that you would set the vehicle in motion. -
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Recent Successes At the Impaired Driving Defence Centre, Christopher A. Avery takes your privacy very seriously. He also understands the curiosity of potential clients regarding our track record. For these reasons we have changed identifying details of the below cases in order to protect our clients’ privacy. We do not post the reported decisions of our clients’ cases as they are findable on a google search by name if I reproduce them here. -
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If you are convicted of drinking and driving, your fingerprints and photographs will be retained by the RCMP in Ottawa. A conviction also means you will have a criminal record which will show up when police run a check and that can hurt your employment opportunities as well as your travel plans. -
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When it comes to immigration, criminal records can make a huge difference on your ability to remain in the country or your ability to travel to another country in the first place. Sometimes travellers are stopped at the border due to an old conviction. They are stunned to discover that they need to apply for permission to cross due.....