The holiday season is upon us. Every year, it feels as though everyone is trying to accomplish in one month what they set out to do in a year. The days of our lives and the roads grow busier. Then, factor in the holiday office parties, inclement weather and poor road conditions. Together, it is a recipe for disaster.
Many people are so used to driving that they don’t realize it is a privilege rather than a right, and one that is quite easy to lose. It often helps to go back to the basics and review the Criminal Code of Canada, R.S.C., 1985, c. C-46 (the “Code”). Subsection 320.12(a) of the Code, which establishes fundamental principles for impaired and dangerous driving laws, states that “operating a conveyance is a privilege that is subject to certain limits in the interests of public safety that include licensing, the observance of rules and sobriety.” It is easy to lose this privilege by exceeding one or more of those boundaries. In some instances, the loss of this privilege may lead to both life-altering and criminal consequences.
This November, drivers might have heard on the news that Ontario is developing new accountability measures in addition to the Safer Roads and Communities Act, 2024, to address impaired and dangerous driving. The newly proposed measures include the initiative that would require offenders convicted of impaired driving to pay ongoing child support if they kill a child’s parent or guardian. The Ontario government news release stated that there were 182 deaths caused by impaired driving in 2021, including 96 deaths due to drinking and driving occurrences and 86 fatalities due to drugs.