Durham police has announced penalties for impaired driving in effect since the beginning of this year.
Effective January 1, a warn (50–79 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood) reading on an Approved Screening Device will result in:
- 7-day suspension for a first offense
- 14-day suspension for a second offense
- 30-day suspension for a third offense
- Mandatory remedial driver training and substance-use programs will also apply.
Police reminded that under the Ontario Highway Traffic Act, anyone charged with an impaired driving criminal offence will have their driver’s licence suspended for 90 days and their vehicle impounded automatically for seven days.
Fully licensed drivers are required to have a blood alcohol concentration less than 80 mg per 100 mL and yet, the average breath sample for arrested parties since the start of the 2025 Festive RIDE program was 150 mg per 100 mL, which is almost double the legal limit, police said.
Durham Regional Police Service (DRPS) had issued 629 impaired driving charges by mid-November, according to Police Chief Peter Moreira.
Leading Cause of Road Deaths
In Ontario, alcohol-impaired driving is one of the leading causes of death on the roads. Your gender, weight, age, mood and what you ate can affect how your body responds to alcohol, says a provincial advisory.
When you drink, you may experience:
- Blurred or double vision
- Difficulty paying attention to the road and your surroundings
- Slowed reflexes
You can face charges if your blood alcohol concentration is 0.08% or more, or if you are in the warn range (blood alcohol concentration between 0.05 and 0.079).
Under Ontario’s zero tolerance law for young, novice and commercial drivers, they cannot have any alcohol in their system if they are:
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- Age 21 or under
- A driver of any age who holds a G1, G2, M1, or M2 licence
- Driving a vehicle that requires an A-F driver’s licence or Commercial Vehicle Operator’s Registration (CVOR)