Beginner Driver Education · Attention
Understanding Alcohol and Impaired Driving in Ontario
Driviology Road Safety Education Team
What this actually means for you
Driving asks for your attention in a way almost nothing else in daily life does — full, continuous, and for the whole trip, not just the tricky parts. Getting behind the wheel after consuming any amount of alcohol is a terrible idea and can have severe consequences. It cannot be faked or crammed the night before a test. It is a habit you either build in your first months of driving or spend years unlearning the opposite.
Alcohol and Impaired Driving: Consequences and Laws in Ontario
Getting behind the wheel after consuming any amount of alcohol is a terrible idea and can have severe consequences.
There are several dangers caused by drinking, including:
- Slower reaction times
- Lack of coordination
- Lack of concentration
- Lapses in judgment
- Poor risk perception
- Blurry vision
- Motor skills are null
All these symptoms can show even with the small consumption of alcohol. They can all severely inhibit the driver’s ability to drive safely.
For fully licensed drivers in Canada, the maximum legal blood alcohol concentration level (BAC) is 0.08 (80 milligrams of alcohol per 100ml of blood.
Source: https://madd.ca/pages/impaired-driving/overview/blood-alcohol-concentration-bac/
Operating any vehicle with a BAC of 0.08 or above is a criminal offence and can result in:
- Jail time
- Licence suspension
- Fines
In Ontario, drivers with a BAC between 0.05 and 0.08 known as the “warn range—will face severe consequences.”
Novice drivers, on the other hand, have a zero-tolerance policy.
G2, G1, M2, and M1 licence holders must have a zero BAC when behind any vehicle’s wheel. If the driver gets caught having any amount of alcohol in their blood, they will face serious consequences.
When a police officer stops, the officer can ask the driver to perform a breath or sobriety test. The driver must comply in this case. Failure to comply or failing the test can cause their licence to be suspended or even cause them to face criminal charges.
Tips:
- Avoid peer pressure and drinking if they have to drive.
- Assign a designated driver who is not under the influence to drive.
- Take public transport or a taxi.
- Inform a family member and ask to have them picked up.
About one-fourth of all fatal car accidents in Toronto are alcohol-related.
| Drink Range | Chances |
|---|---|
| 1 to 2 | Nearly double |
| 3 to 4 | Increases 3 to / times |
| 5 to 6 | 13 to 20 times |
| 7 to 8 | 55 to 85 times |
Driving with a blood alcohol concentration below the legal limit will still impact driving.
Using this on Ontario roads — and on your road test
Ontario law treats this seriously: distracted driving penalties are steep, and novice drivers face licence suspensions on top of fines. But the legal risk is honestly the smaller one — a car at 60 km/h covers the length of a basketball court in about two seconds, and a lot can step into that space. In the GTA the demands never stop: transit stops, cyclists, pedestrians looking at their own phones, delivery riders filtering through traffic. Set the car up before you move — seat, mirrors, phone away and silent, route planned — so that once you are rolling, your attention has only one job.
Questions drivers ask us
Can you explain alcohol and impaired driving in Ontario in simple terms?
All these symptoms can show even with the small consumption of alcohol.
What is the easiest way to protect my attention while driving?
Set the car up before you move: phone away and on silent, mirrors and seat adjusted, route entered, music chosen. Once you are rolling, every one of those small jobs competes with the road — and the road is the only one that can hurt you.
Can I fail a road test for looking at my phone?
Reaching for a phone while driving is a serious error and, on Ontario roads, a serious offence — for novice drivers it can mean a licence suspension, not just a fine. On a test, your phone should be away and silent from the moment you get in the car.