Reputable Impaired Driving Criminal Lawyer in Brampton, GTA, Ontario
Impaired driving is a criminal offence in Canada. If convicted, severe penalties can be imposed that could affect your current job, your future employment opportunities, and your ability to travel freely.
If you are facing impaired driving charges in Brampton, GSP Law – the best criminal law firm Brampton, will examine the criminal allegations against you and help you achieve the best possible outcome.
We provide expert impaired driving defence services primarily in Brampton and Orangeville, but our services extend to clients throughout Southern Ontario including but not limited to, the Greater Toronto Area, Newmarket, Milton, Mississauga, Oshawa, and North York, Kitchener and Hamilton.
What is Impaired Driving in Canada?
- Many Canadian residents are often surprised to learn that impaired driving is considered a criminal offence. Driving under the influence represents the most litigated criminal case in Canada.
- Regardless of what you call it—driving while impaired, drinking and driving, driving under the influence (DUI), driving while high, drunk, and drugged driving, DUI, and DWI—if you are convicted of an impaired driving-related crime, you will be charged with a criminal offence and will be subject to its harsh punishments.
- Just like other criminal convictions, a DUI conviction can affect your job prospects, future employment opportunities, international travel, and your ability to get insurance.
- If you’ve been charged with impaired driving anywhere in Toronto, Brampton, Orangeville, and the surrounding GTA, we can help you navigate through and understand the complex and stressful process that lies ahead.
Call GSP Law for impaired driving defence consultation. Let’s discuss your case and put forth your best defence for impaired driving crime charges!
Different Types of Impaired Driving Charges in Canada
If you’re arrested for an impaired driving-related offence in Brampton or anywhere else in the surrounding GTA, you may face any of the following charges:
Impaired Driving
An impaired driving arrest can be made without a breath or blood alcohol reading when an officer believes that the driver was unable to operate a motor vehicle due to impairment by alcohol or drugs. Impairment can be to any degree, even slight.
A police officer can lay this charge against a driver if they are driving erratically, have slurred speech, lack motor skills, or display unsteadiness while standing.
If the officer has established reasonable grounds to believe that the driver had consumed alcohol or drugs before driving, they must prove that the driver’s ability to drive was impaired to some extent.
Excess Blood Alcohol
Commonly referred to as ‘Over 79’, this is charged if the driver has a blood-alcohol content of over 79 mg of alcohol in 100 ml of blood, as determined by an approved Breathalyzer.
An officer who requires a driver to submit to a breathalyzer test must have reasonable and probable grounds to believe that the driver has excess blood alcohol in their system. A police officer’s grounds can be determined by an Approved Screening Device at the roadside. In order to demand a sample into an Approved Screening Device, a police officer must have a reasonable suspicion that the driver has alcohol or drugs in their system.
Refuse/Fail to Provide a Sample
This charge is generally applied when a person suspected of driving under the influence refuses to provide a breath sample to a police officer or when a person suspected of DUI refuses to provide a blood sample.
The charge can also be made if the sample provided is not considered adequate for the officer’s investigation.
Care and Control
Even though you weren’t actually driving a car, you could still be charged with impaired driving.
If you’re charged with DUI under such circumstances, a police officer will attempt to prove that you had both care and control of a vehicle while impaired.
Were you charged with Impaired Driving in Greater Toronto Area?
GSP Law offers the best professional impaired criminal defence lawyer representation, especially in Toronto, Brampton, and Orangeville. We are prepared to thoroughly review your situation and develop an approach tailored to your defence needs.
Impaired Driving Defences
Below are a few defences for impaired driving:
- Exclusion of evidence due to the police officer violating your rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms;
- Technical challenges related to the breathalyzer and breath or blood testing procedures;
- Challenging the police officer’s reasons for needing to take a breath sample from you.
- Challenging the police officer’s subjective determination of impairment;
- Depending on the circumstances of the impaired driving arrest, additional challenges may be available
If you are facing an impaired driving charge, we highly recommend you contact our impaired driving defence lawyer Brampton to discuss your options. Everyone is given the right to ask for legal advice when arrested. GSP Law stands ready and willing to help with any situation you may be facing.
Penalties for Impaired Driving in Canada
The Criminal Code is specific about setting out minimum penalties for people who drive under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
These penalties are severe. They also include the loss of driving privileges.
These penalties will ultimately cause your insurance premiums to increase after you get back behind the wheel and an additional fee related to an impaired driving education program, an ignition interlock device, and license reinstatement.
Minimum fines for a first-time offense include:
- A $1,000 fine;
- One-year driving suspension;
- Enrolling in an alcohol education course;
- One year of continuous enrollment in the ignition interlock system after license reinstatement.
For a second-time conviction, minimum penalties include:
- One year driving suspension;
- 30 days jail time if the Crown Attorney’s office files the requisite paperwork;
- Three year-completion of an ignition interlock program after your license has been reinstated.
Penalties for third and subsequent convictions include:
- One year driving suspension
- A fine depending on the judge’s discretion;
- 120 days jail time if the Crown Attorney’s office files the requisite paperwork;
- If the driver’s license is ever reinstated, lifetime enrollment in an ignition interlock program.
Separate and apart from the penalties imposed by the Courts, the Ministry of Transportation will levy a license suspension and fines.
Considering these factors, it’s clear that consulting with an expert impaired driving criminal defence lawyer should be your first step.
A skilled impaired driving criminal lawyer in Brampton will know the highly complex and technical aspects of impaired driving laws in Canada’s Criminal Code and be capable of mounting a defence tailored to your particular situation.
GSP Law, a criminal law firm in Brampton is committed to defending its clients’ rights and ensuring that they receive fair treatment under the law. We are prepared to mount a vigorous defence against any charges brought against our clients.
Defend yourself and your rights against Impaired Driving Charges
Hire GSP Law as your Impaired Driving Defence Lawyer Brampton and be properly represented!
Why Choose GSP Law as your Impaired Driving Criminal Defence Lawyer in Brampton, ON?
- Seasoned and Experienced Criminal Defence Lawyer.
- Conducts a thorough review of criminal charges and pieces of evidence.
- Dedicated to your specific needs.
- Professional and Knowledgeable to defend all clients no matter what charge and at all court levels.
Reach out today, defend yourself and get proper representation from a highly skilled manslaughter defence lawyer Brampton.
Our Specific Impaired Driving Criminal Lawyer Service Areas
Here’s a look at the key locations where we offer our specialized services:
- Toronto
- Orangeville
- Brampton
- Mississauga
- Vaughan
- Markham
- Richmond Hill
Impaired Driving Charges can be defended.
Hire GSP Law as your impaired driving defence counsel to get professional representation. You are not alone. We can help you.
FAQs about Impaired Driving
If I’ve been charged with impaired driving, do I need to find and hire a Brampton impaired driving lawyer?
Impaired Driving laws are very complex and technical. Not every lawyer is familiar with them, and not every lawyer specializes exclusively in them.
With GSP Law, you get an experienced impaired driving defence lawyer who can represent you and provide a wide range of insight into your particular case.
If I were charged with impaired driving, what should I NOT do?
- Avoid making any statements in public or the presence of police officers.
- You have the right not to speak with the police until you have had a chance to speak to a lawyer. If you do not have one, start looking for a credible Brampton lawyer now.
How much does an impaired driving lawyer cost?
Usually, the total costs depend on several factors:
- The length of the trial;
- The severity of the charge;
- The amount of disclosure required to review;
- The additional time the lawyer would need to devote to your case in addition to trial preparation.
Important Professional Disclaimer:
This website does not and cannot contain legal advice. The legal information provided on this page, especially the potential defences cited, is for general information and educational purposes only. No part of it is meant to be used as a substitute for professional advice.
Accordingly, we encourage you to consult with a professional to provide you with legal advice fit for your case before taking any action based upon such information.
GSP Law cannot be held accountable nor liable for misinterpretation of the cited potential defences for impaired driving charges, and they are not legal advice nor guidance given on this website.
GSP Law encourages users of this website to consult with local counsel or contact us for actual legal advice or guidance.
Testimonials
What our clients are saying:
Honest. Dedicated. Effective.
We understand how stressful it might be to face a possible DUI conviction or criminal record. To provide superior legal services with professionalism, honesty, and dedication is our mission.
Regardless of your current situation in the criminal justice system, it is vital to acquire a criminal defence lawyer as soon as possible.
At GSP Law, we are devoted to exploiting all accessible paths of defence to obtain the most desirable outcome possible for our customers.
Our experienced and client-centric team of legal experts specializes in criminal law. We are committed to providing effective representation for individuals facing a variety of offences.
