DUI Lawyers Frequently Asked Questions | Ontario: 1.877.497.3927 Call Now, Know Your Rights!
DUI Lawyers Ontario, Impaired Driving Over 80mg Charges
DUI, Impaired & Over 80mg Charges - What Next?
"Should I Fight a DUI Charge in Ontario?
Impaired Driving, Over 80mg DUI Lawyers in Welland
Ontario Criminal DUI Lawyer, Chris Avery
Blowing over 80 is the most common drinking and driving Charge that is defended in the Niagara Region courts. Operating an automobile, boat, snowmobile or motorcycle - motorized vehicle with an alcohol level that exceeds 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood is over the legal limit.
You were arrested, Charged with Over 80mg
It is a scary situation, you have never broke the law before. You felt fine, you weren't drunk but you blew over 80 at a RIDE Spotcheck or a traffic stop. Does this mean you are guilty?! Until the evidence is seen by a DUI specialist only then can your options be presented to you. How much will this cost? Again, you need to sit down with a lawyer to understand the complexities of your case. Contact us today for a Free Consultation.
Charged with Impaired?
Being impaired may not be qualified by blowing over 80 with a roadside breathalyzer if the officer made a roadside stop because you were driving erratically. If the officer suspects you are driving under the influence “ DUI” of alcohol or narcotics and you admit to having “a drink” you will be instructed to cooperate in a roadside physical test “walk a straight line” if there is physical evidence of inebriation.
Impaired by Narcotics & Marijuana
There may also be an officer who is trained to identify narcotics impairment dispatched to assist in the evaluation. If it is determined you are driving under the influence you may be placed under arrest and transported to the police station for further testing and evaluation. If Alcohol is suspected to be the impairment you will be asked to submit to a blood alcohol test. The results of that Blood Alcohol test may be below the legal limit and that may eliminate the over 80 charge. You will be left with the charge of impaired to fight in court
Call to schedule a Free Consultation
Welland Call 289-426-5766 - Outside Welland Call 1-877-497-3927
Average cost of an impaired driving conviction
- insurance rates
- back on track
- interlock devices
- criminal record
- loss of job
- inability to volunteer
- inability to obtain new employment
- potential problems with the US Border
- inability to rent a car in some circumstances
- contrary to popular belief, you often cannot just drive on your spouse's insurance or company insurance without disclosure to the company of the conviction - if a situation involving a claim happens, you may be uninsured
- admission of liability in situation of any kind of accident
- inability to obtain secondary insurance beyond basic liability, preventing you from leasing or financing new vehicles
- besmirches character - important in situations of politics and public life
- reputation in the community
- if any judgment occurs as a result of the admission of liability it destroys your credit rating
Toronto & GTA Call 289.481.1007 Outside GTA Call 1-877-497-3927
First Offence:
- First offence, with blood alcohol content of 80-129 mg: mandatory minimum $1,000 fine
- First offence, with blood alcohol content of 130-159 mg: mandatory minimum $1,500 fine
- First offence, with blood alcohol content of 160 mg or more: mandatory minimum $2,000 fine
- First offence, but refuse to be tested: mandatory minimum $2,000 fine
- Mandatory education or treatment program
- Mandatory Ignition Interlock period of at least 9 months
- Prohibited from Operating a motor vehicle of any kind within Canada for a minimum of 1 year, subject to the ignition interlock program
Second Offence:
- Mandatory education or treatment program
- 3 year minimum requirement to drive a car equipped with an ignition interlock device; subject to the Stream D program
- mandatory minimum 30 days imprisonment
- Fine amount at the discretion of the judge
- Licence suspended for minimum 3 years by the Ministry of Transport; subject to the Stream D program
- Minimum 2 year prohibition on operating a motor vehicle anywhere in Canada, even if they don’t require a driver’s license
Third and subsequent Offences:
- Mandatory education or treatment program
- Variable interlock periods (depending on sequence of prior convictions)
- mandatory minimum 120 days imprisonment
- Lifetime licence suspension (can be reduced to 10 years if certain conditions are met on the third conviction; on fourth or subsequent conviction lifetime suspension with no possibility of reduction)
It must be remembered that you are presumed innocent until proven guilty and the Crown bears the heavy burden of proving all essential elements of the case beyond a reasonable doubt. Given the heavy penalties involved you owe it to yourself to seek the best possible representation from an experienced lawyer with a record of defending these types of cases. If you are uncertain about your rights and need to win the case to keep your licence and avoid a criminal record then why not call the Impaired Driving Defence Centre? Our initial consultation is always free and IDDC colleagues can speak with you, promptly.
A driver stopped by the police engages several potential Charter issues.
The motorist’s detention invokes s. 9 (arbitrary detention), s. 10(a) (right to be informed of the reason why) and s. 10(b) the right to counsel. Furthermore, the officer’s search for evidence is generally warrantless and raises s. 8 issues relating to unreasonable search and seizure.
The accused is also entitled to full disclosure (s. 7 fundamental justice) as well as the right to be tried within a reasonable time (s. 11B). Against this constitutional background these cases can be fought and won. Many cases also turn on common investigative lapses that a skilled counsel can exploit.
Link To Our Winning Record
Given the heavy penalties involved you owe it to yourself to seek the best possible representation from an experienced lawyer with a record of defending these types of cases. If you are uncertain about your rights and need to win the case to keep your licence and avoid a criminal record then why not call the Impaired Driving Defence Centre? Our initial consultation is always free and IDDC colleagues can speak with you, promptly.
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IDDC - Defending Drinking & Driving Charges Across Ontario
DUI Lawyers Frequently Asked Questions | Ontario: 1-877-497-3927 / 24hours
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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.....