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Tougher penalties for drivers caught under influence of drugs

Charges to match those for drunk driving
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Starting Oct. 2, penalties for drug-impaired driving will match those already in place for drunk drivers on Ontario roads. File photo.

Starting Oct. 2, penalties for drug-impaired driving will match those already in place for drunk drivers on Ontario roads. 

Drivers under the influence of drugs will face the following penalties:

A $180 fine, an immediate licence suspension of three days for the first occurrence, seven days for the second occurrence and 30 days for the third and subsequent occurrences upon failure of a roadside sobriety test.

Drivers will also face a possible 90-day licence suspension and a seven-day vehicle impoundment following further testing by a drug recognition expert at a police station.

Drivers with two or more licence suspensions involving alcohol or drugs within a 10-year period will have to attend mandatory education or treatment programs, and installation of an ignition interlock device in their vehicle.

These new measures were introduced as part of the Making Ontario's Roads Safer Act last year. 

In addition to these penalties, impaired driving can lead to criminal charges which could ultimately result in a loss of licence, additional fines and jail time. 

Quick facts:

  • According to the Office of the Chief Coroner, 39 per cent of drivers killed on Ontario’s roads in 2013 had either drugs or a combination of drugs and alcohol in their system.
  • Drug-impaired driving collisions in Ontario had an estimated social cost of $612 million in 2013.
  • The Making Ontario's Roads Safer Act was passed on June 2, 2015. 
  • It also included tougher penalties for distracted driving and “dooring” cyclists, as well as new rules for school crossings and pedestrian crossovers.

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