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DUI / Drinking & Driving Lawyers Greater Toronto Area (GTA)
If you were charged with DUI or drinking & driving in the Greater Toronto Area, contact a GTA criminal lawyer immediately.
Defending You Against the DUI Charge in the GTA
Driving a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol (DUI) is a serious criminal offence in Canada that carries severe punishment. Facing the impaired driving charge in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) can be an embarrassing and frustrating experience.
However, there may be a way to beat the DUI charge to avoid penalties. Contact our GTA drinking and driving driving lawyers at Lawyers From The Six to get professional and honest legal representation and fight the charges against you.
What is impaired driving?
Drinking and driving refers to the operation of a motor vehicle or any other conveyance while impaired by alcohol or drugs. Also, you can face impaired driving charges in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) for being in “care and control” of a motor vehicle.
- Law enforcement can determine impairment through:
- Physical signs of alcohol intoxication such as slurred speech, watery or bloodshot eyes, and poor coordination, among others;
- Driving patterns such as failure to stay within the proper lane and problems with maintaining speed; and
- Field sobriety tests administered by the police.
Types of DUI charges
- Operating a conveyance (motor vehicle, vessel, aircraft, railway equipment) under the influence of alcohol or drugs or a combination of both.
- Having a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) at or over 80 milligrams (mg) of alcohol in 100 milliliters (mL) of blood within two hours after ceasing to drive a motor vehicle or any other conveyance.
- Having prohibited levels of impairing drugs or marijuana in your blood within two hours of driving; or
- Having both a BAC and blood drug concentration (BDC) above accepted limits within two hours of operating a vehicle.
Each of these criminal offences are commonly referred to as “impaired driving” or “DUI charges” in Canada.
What are the penalties for drinking and driving?
If you were found guilty of DUI, the minimum sentence includes:
- A $1,000.00 fine and a driver’s licence suspension for one year for a first offence;
- 30 days of incarceration and a driver’s licence suspension for two years if this is your second offence; and
- 120 days in jail and a driver’s licence suspension for three years for a third and any subsequent offence.
Also, penalties for DUI charges in Canada depend on whether anyone was injured or killed because of the defendant’s impaired driving and whether the offence is classified as an indictment or a summary conviction. The maximum penalties are:
- Up to 18 months in jail for a summary conviction if no person was injured or killed;
- Up to five years in jail for an indictment if no one was injured or killed;
- 10 years of incarceration if someone was injured because of the defendant’s impaired driving; and
- A life sentence if another person died in the commission of the offence.
Additional penalties may be imposed if you are facing DUI charges in Ontario. The Ontario Ministry of Transportation states that penalties associated with impaired driving are a 90-day licence suspension, a $550.00 fine, a licence reinstatement fee of $281.00, and a 7-day vehicle impoundment, among others.
Our GTA impaired driving lawyers at Lawyers From The Six are striving to fight DUI charges and zealously defend all of your clients. Schedule a case review by calling 647-830-3083.
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