No drinking for young drivers

Tough new rules for young drivers in Ontario are about to come into effect.

They include zero alcohol tolerance for drivers 21 and under, regardless of what kind of licence they have.

It also includes drivers who have just received their licence, regardless of age.

Anyone breaking the new rules will have their licence suspended immediately for 24 hours, and face a further suspension of 30 days plus a fine.

The changes, passed two years ago, take effect Aug. 1.What do you think of these new rules?

Comments

[Scott]

I think it is starting to look like Prohibition. Nail the offenders, the ones that are breaking the law...Zero tolerance...sorry but it is changing the Social world. Insurance companies are making a fortune out of all of this, as the it becomes a major infraction in a court of law, and your insurance premiums are going up, way up...$1000 a month if you had a 1/4 glass of beer. Sorry folks but I think that this is going overboard. And don't centre out the young, as it is all ages.

[john a. slomka]

Glenn Hamilton is running for mayor.He has experience,integrity,and leadership skills that will be vital to bring Hamilton to ''world class'' status.It has been proven over and over again that a new face brings new ideas as well as breaking up ''old boys'' clubs.Politicians are too comfortable and it's time for a change! ON ELECTION DAY I'M VOTING FOR GLENN HAMILTON FOR HAMILTON MAYOR....OUT WITH THE OLD REGIME!

[john a. slomka]

young drivers should have a few more restrictions on them...a different color plate would be good too.people will know they are new drivers.burning korans is a tragedy and should be stopped.conrad black ,,a convicted felon can travel freely in canada? he got what he deserved...he never wanted to be canadian,,,he's a sir..well in canada we are all equal,,,he's a felon and beneath us,,,sir or no sir! GLENN HAMILTON IS MY CHOICE FOR MAYOR...TIME FOR A CHANGE! HOPE THAT COVERS A FEW ISSUES.OSKEE WEE WEE.....YES TO WEST HARBOUR,,,THE PEOPLE HAVE VOTED,,,THE DEMOCRATIC VOTE SHOULD NOT BE RIPPED FROM OUR HANDS!WHATS UP WITH THAT?

[john a. slomka]

we have elected officials that represent hamiltonians voting for a site.it is democratically selected and then the province and feds want to change that? this is pure ''hyperbole''...someone is pulling strings no doubt! what is the deal with ''ossington inc.''? i sick and tired of hamoltonians getting shafted,,,,i'm not voting for any sitting politicians...we need new blood! ON ELECTION DAY I'M VOTING FOR GLENN HAMILTON OF HAMILTON FOR HAMILTON,,,,ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!TIME FOR A CHANGE!

[Jordan Sterling]

As the leader of the youth revolution that occurred around 2 years ago in response to new driving legislation, I think zero tolerance is fantastic.

Unfortunately, contrary to the beliefs of our Ministry of Transportation and other political/social powers involved in pushing this law, drinking and driving is dangerous for those older than 21 as well.

Are you surprised? Likely not, as this logic is not complex in nature. Should zero blood-alcohol be enforced? Absolutely, but on all ages.

[Gary]

I agree with most of the other comments and agree it should be zero tolerance for all drivers. Drinking and Driving is a huge problem in Ontario.

[w arthur]

new rules great, but just remember to take those 21 year olds off the ''go to war and get killed list''oh but i guess thats ok gimmy a break!!!!!!

[Stephen Penner]

For a province wide holiday it makes no sense to name a holiday after a city founder. Not opposed to celebrating George Hamilton as you poll shows too many have never heard of him.

[Gene Simmons]

@Dr. Shart..okay...I guess our own government doesn't keep these stats...guess it's not important or something. Who knows.

And I wholeheartedly agree that the zero alcohol tolerance should be for drivers of every age with longer licence suspensions.

[gabbi]

zero tolerance or for those 21 and under...

what difference that will make will be interesting to watch.

people don't 'get it' NOW...why will this new law make any difference to that idea?

but if there was an absolute zero tolerance that was upheld by all - then we might see a big down turn in untimely deaths as a result of booze and buggies....

but I sometimes think that a big deterant is for friends to turn on each other in the strongest way possible ....when they attempt to get behind the wheel of their car having had any drinks at all....

Suspensions on their licences does not work...lots and lots of drivers continue to drive while under suspension which I believe automatically makes their insurance null and void....someone correct me if I am wrong....

and then the one who suffers most is the one who gets 'hit' by one of these idiots....

there is NO excuse for driving after drinking...there are buses, cabs and friends/family...etc etc

[Dr. Shart]

Yes Gene...I know...I was making a point & that was easiest data compared to the over hyped MADD stats.



Several friends I have lost from driving impaired were all over this magical age of 21 so either make it across the board & enforce it or stop wasting everyones time with more & more unenforced laws!

[jeanette mcmanus]

the owners of funeral parlors are at this time are now saying "ah bugger it now we will have to lay some of the workers off", as one of the emergency surgeons admitted,... the ages of the injured and drug induced drivers keep me busy 40-46 hours a week(4 holidays a year, new cars in the 5 digets price range, lets say a boat,other luxuries, ....as the MADD group would say,..." STOP THE MADNESS.(MOTHERS AGAINST DRUNK DRIVERS, drugs dont help either as those who use thier car as a weapon, these guys should not even be allowed to ride a bike ,...or a pair of roller skates.

[Peter Michael]

"they should receive an immediate suspension of 60 days, and insurance premiums go up."

I agree, only problem is you have drivers that are on their fourth, fifth, or sixth suspension and those that drive without a license or insurance.

[Diane Johnston]

I totally agree with the new law BUT I believe that it should be for ALL ages.
if you are old enough to drink you are old enough to ensure that you have a D . D. or an alternate way home ! If you drink you should NOT DRIVE .

[freedom?]

Well, there are many interesting posts in response to the article. I happen to agree with a zero tolerence to ALL drivers. I'm in my 40's and certainly would agree to a zero tolerence for all. However, I believe that our current insurance premiums are far too high, therefore, in the event someone is pulled over and has alcohol on their breath, they should receive an immediate suspension of 60 days, and insurance premiums go up. However, if the government were to enforce a zero tolerence for all, that would mean their scotch/beer/wine lunch could get them some negative press. Not that you would see them punished. Kind of like the police, they never pay for ANY of their mistakes, it's abuse of title.

[craig duvall]

I also agree with the zero tolearance law,But, saying this, when will the zero tolerance happen with the off-duty police happen, all they get is a slap on the wrist.

[Gene Simmons]

Okay...that's 2 Americans. Dr. Shart, those aren't Canadian statistics, they are from the United States government. lalala, we don't have dui's in Canada...the correct charge is Impaired Driving. But I do agree with both of you...why should this be limited to under 21's only?? What about that man who killed the poor couple at the railway crossing...he was on his 4th or 5th impaired driving charge and wasn't he in his 30's or 40's??

[Nihl]

There sure are a lot of 50+ drivers on the police crime blotter getting pulled over for drinking. Hell, my grandfather still doesn't wear a seat belt. Get used to big brother young Ontarians... He seems to be getting bigger and bigger everyday. Why don't we just raise the young driver's insurance while we're at it?? Then people can have their car registered under their parents' policy until they're 30 instead of the current 25.

[Grant]

Make it zero tolerance for all drivers, but graduate the suspension - longer periods for younger drivers.

[Chris Borst]

Drinking and driving is a clear-cut bad thing. If this reduces it, then good. That said, I'm skeptical that it will make much difference. The worst offenders tend to be older, not younger, and bans are rarely effective in any case.

Of course, even if this or some other law got rid of 100% of drinking and driving, getting into (or anywhere close to) cars is still taking your life into your hands. While walking peacefully along the sidewalk over the weekend, I was nearly murdered by a driver turning at speed into a condo driveway, inches in front of me. And he gave me the finger as he zoomed away.

So long as driving is permitted to exist, vehicle "accidents" will continue to be one of the principal causes of death.

[N. Clark]

I agree - ZERO TOLERANCE FOR ALL DRIVERS regardless of their age.

Unfortunately it is often the "seasoned" drinkers who feel that they have the right to get behind the wheel after they've been drinking.

And we definitely need harsher punishments for those who do choose to drink and drive.

Let's get them the hell off the roads!!!!

[Mark]

Since when did Ontario become the Soviet Union? Pretty soon all of our current "freedoms" will require licenses to do. I'm with "ed", we are becoming a nation of lemmings where Big Brother is going to tell us when it's okay to pee, too. As I recall there is a blood alcohol limit that is low enough to take care of most drunk drivers, but there aren't enough police interested in doing their jobs. Instead of showing up AFTER an accident has taken place, why don't they just set up RIDE programs near bars and pull more people over, or set up in parking areas near these establishments and be more diligent in how they catch drunk drivers BEFORE they get behind the wheel. Of course that makes more sense and would require the cops to do their jobs properly, I suppose.

[somewheretotherightofattilathehun]

The Nanny State obsessed McGuinty government dropped the ball here when they failed to introduce zero tolerance for all drivers.
Until our governments get serious with drinking and driving through a zero tolerance policy for everyone, the carnage on our roads will continue.
A driver's license is a priveledge, not a right. Those that disrespect that priveledge should lose the priveledge, period.

[lalala]

This is ageism. This age group isn't even the biggest group for duis. Either makes it zero tolerance across the board or at least target the right age group.

[Dr. Shart]

Interesting. Statistically drivers aged 25-34 have the highest number of alcohol related fatalities (23%) followed by ages 35-44 (19%). 21 & under is only 12%. I wonder why they aren't targeting those in the highest percentile? Ontario makes less sense daily.

source http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811016.PDF

[Brian]

It's taken 2 years from the time it was passed until it was implemented? Well I think that any fatalities or injuries that have happened during that period should result in Criminal Charges against McGuinty and his Cohorts for being accessories to Crime!
If the "Statistics" back it up then it does not go far enough! 24Hr ban etc what about loss of points and increasing the amount of insurance charged!The main point though is why not apply it across the board to every driver if Alcohol is such a factor in accidents?
Well we all know that Government is the "Legal Bootlegger" of Liquor and Cigarettes and lives off the avails of extortionate taxes for these noxious products, and would "Legalize" and sell other anti-social "Drugs" if it was not more profitable for the so called "Legal"
profession,its Enforcers and Jailers to "Scam" the weak willed members of the Public that try to escape life's pressures by partaking in these self destructing pursuits.

[St]

Good,I actually think it should be absolute zero tolerance for all drivers to have any amount of alcohol while driving or with intentions of driving after drinking.

[Adriana]

I think it is a great idea. In other countries, like the Netherlands, people learn to handle their alcohol first and then are allowed to drive at an older age. Drinking age is 16, driving is 21. Opposite to us, but makes very good sense. They also have bicycle roads built separately from roadways which hold the right of way at intersections. Much safer and healthier for all.

[Peter Michael]

Why will there be zero tolerance for drivers under 21, why not zero tolerance for any driver?

Seems like a mixed message; it's ok to drink and drive as long as you're over 21 and as long as you don't drink too much - whatever "too much" is these days...

[ed]

I'm not going to comment on the "new" law, its just one of many and theres many more to come. We are fast becoming a nation of droids, programmed in back rooms by governments, teachers unions, police, insurance companies and Ceo's. We have no say and it seems thats the way we like it. They'd like to freeze our wages but more importantly, freeze our thoughts. Everything we do has become a privilege and not a right. The only reason we have privileges is because they need our money for their rights. Personally I think there should be a breath test at the voting booth, it sure seems we're all drunk in there. Soon our right to vote will also become a privilege.

[Gene Simmons]

I think it should be zero alcohol tolerance for ALL drivers and the immediate licence suspension should be much longer than 24 hours...how's 6 months??

I still see many younger drivers talking on cellphones while they drive. Why is that??