0.05 BAC Automatic 3 day suspension?

[rmemedic]

so I gues now it's illegal to have a 0.05 BAC. You get an automatic 3 day suspension according to what I just heard on the news...

So nobody can go out have a drink or two (and I mean one or two) and drive home without the fear of losing your license, insurance increases etc.

I am disgusted with intoxicated drivers but there's nothing wrong with a beer or a glass of wine with your dinner.

.08 was a fine limit and it was a clear and defined line to NOT cross this .05 is just a grey area... or it was...

[reciprocity]

Do coke instead.

Beer is Fattening.

[Rossi86]

Do coke instead.

Beer is Fattening.

LOL - Why drink and drive, when you can get high and fly.

This was one of reasons why they pushed the new law, obesity is at it's peak now. That and the politicians had nothing to do for a while so they said what the hell lets just make a new law about drinking and driving, ".05 sound good to everyone?" "Aye!" "Done!"
It happens all the time when people get payed a lot of money for doing nothing...

[matt123]

turbodish
I looked it up and you are right but I understand why the guy from Points thinks it will raise insurance?

http://www.torontosun.com/news/canad...21766-sun.html

[turbodish]

turbodish
I looked it up and you are right but I understand why the guy from Points thinks it will raise insurance?

http://www.torontosun.com/news/canad...21766-sun.html

Not a problem. I can't answer for the guy from Pointts though. You would think he would be a little more knowledgeable than that on insurance repercussions or lack there-of when it comes to administrative license suspensions. FSCO policies on that are openly available for viewing. http://www.fsco.gov.on.ca/english/pu...06/a-04_06.asp

[turbodish]

So nobody can go out have a drink or two (and I mean one or two) and drive home without the fear of losing your license, insurance increases etc.

I am disgusted with intoxicated drivers but there's nothing wrong with a beer or a glass of wine with your dinner.

The average person can still have two drinks with dinner and still be under .05 BAC. Even a 98 pound wisp can have one drink and still be safe.

[blackcamaro]

The average person can still have two drinks with dinner and still be under .05 BAC. Even a 98 pound wisp can have one drink and still be safe.

That may be true but not something I would personally risk...

It is still a cash grab and a foolish law. I think the old 12 hour suspension/cooling off period was a fine way of handling border line cases, keeping the roads safe but not punishing the offender too much. If they want lower levels then fine but this grey area stuff is really starting to get old.

[turbodish]

It is still a cash grab and a foolish law. I think the old 12 hour suspension/cooling off period was a fine way of handling border line cases, keeping the roads safe but not punishing the offender too much. If they want lower levels then fine but this grey area stuff is really starting to get old.

The bolded part in your post above reveals a bit of a dilemma. If the 12 hour suspension is necessary in "keeping the roads safe" as you say, then you are actually acknowledging that driving with .05 to .08 poses a risk that justifies taking you off the road.

The previous 12-hour suspension let you repeat what you acknowledge to be "risky" behaviour over and over again without any escalating repercussion, and as such had limited deterrent effect. That has now changed.

In any case, none of this is gray area stuff any more. The province has set a .05 BAC line beyond which one must not drive. It's not a criminal offence BAC level of impairment, but it is a regulatory offence BAC level which is perfectly legitimate.

Ontario is hardly being radical in doing this. Many places around the world differentiate between criminal and regulatory levels of driving impairment, imposing different levels a sanctions for each.

[blackcamaro]

I still don't understand why the need for two levels of impaired. Your either too impaired to drive or not so I find the lesser of the charges to be more for raking in some extra money then anything else.

If the government wanted to change from .08 to .05 fine by me. I won't have a drink and drive regardless I just see little reason behind the 3 day suspension other then a fancy press release saying we are keeping the roads safe and the government grabbing admin fee's for reinstating a license

[matt123]

I don't drink and drive and never have.With that being said punishing someone by impounding their vehicle and informing their insurance of their behavior while having committed no crime is in my opinion is a marked departure from The carter of freedoms and rights.It allows big brother leverage he should not have in a free society,No offence equals no judge no jury yet it affects you in the same manor.If .05 was made a Non indictable offence you would have at least some recourse.This reeks of a police state.

[turbodish]

I still don't understand why the need for two levels of impaired. Your either too impaired to drive or not so I find the lesser of the charges to be more for raking in some extra money then anything else.

If the government wanted to change from .08 to .05 fine by me. I won't have a drink and drive regardless I just see little reason behind the 3 day suspension other then a fancy press release saying we are keeping the roads safe and the government grabbing admin fee's for reinstating a license

It's the same reason we have both HTA careless driving and Criminal Code dangerous driving charges for driving recklessly. The degree of reckless extreme determines whether a person's reckless driving is merely negligent behaviour or criminal behaviour. Same goes for BAC levels.

[bear22099]

so I gues now it's illegal to have a 0.05 BAC. You get an automatic 3 day suspension according to what I just heard on the news...

So nobody can go out have a drink or two (and I mean one or two) and drive home without the fear of losing your license, insurance increases etc.

I am disgusted with intoxicated drivers but there's nothing wrong with a beer or a glass of wine with your dinner.

.08 was a fine limit and it was a clear and defined line to NOT cross this .05 is just a grey area... or it was...

What about the person that does not normally drink? I rarely drink, weigh 265 pounds, and 2 beer make me unfit to drive, yet not impaired by the breath test. These laws are for the lowest common denominator, not for the average.

[eastcoast_gsx]

What about the person that does not normally drink? I rarely drink, weigh 265 pounds, and 2 beer make me unfit to drive, yet not impaired by the breath test. These laws are for the lowest common denominator, not for the average.

So why isn't the roadside sobriety test the frist step...? You have any trouble with that you blow.