DUI To Become 10 Times Harsher For Ontario’s Drivers
November 18: Premier Ford’s government is actively considering a law that would require individuals who kill someone while driving under the influence (DUI) to pay ongoing child support to the victims’ surviving children. This support would extend not only to the deceased’s biological children but also to any wards under the victim’s care.
Context: While this is not an entirely original initiative, it is timely. Similar legislation was first enacted in Tennessee in March 2022, followed by Texas in September 2023. However, Premier Ford can justify his late adoption of this measure as one born of experience and caution: experience gained from observing how the law functioned in other regions and its interactions with existing traffic regulations, and public reactions to it; and caution because new rules—no matter how well intended—can only thrive when their benefits clearly outweigh their drawbacks. This requires lawmakers to have a clear understanding of the law’s practical implications, informed by historical data.
Bottom Line: While Ontario may not be the first to implement such a policy, Ontarians need to have robust measures in place to combat the dangers posed by impaired drivers on our roads.
The statistics are alarming: between 2022 and 2023, Canada experienced an average of nine federal criminal charges and provincial short-term license suspensions for alcohol- or drug-impaired driving every hour, totalling about 215 impaired driving sanctions per day.
In 2022, road crashes were among the leading causes of death for youth aged 15 to 24, with an estimated 50% involving alcohol and/or drugs.
Closer to home, Ontario recorded a total of 15,017 convictions in 2021 for driving-related criminal offences under the Criminal Code of Canada, of which 69.5% were for impaired driving. Additionally, motor vehicle fatalities in the province rose by 6% in 2022, followed by another 4% in 2023. The reasons for this increase are still being investigated, but the likely factors appear to be the easy availability of alcohol and cannabis in Toronto and the high percentage of young drivers on Ontario’s roads. For instance, in 2022, there were more drivers aged 25 to 34 (18.4% of all female drivers and 19.2% of all male drivers) than in any other age group.
The combination of these factors can be a heady mix!
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