Drinking and driving continues to be one of Ontario's most significant road issues. During the past decade, more than 2000 lives have been lost and more than 50,000 people have sustained injuries in collisions involving a drinking driver.
A recent decision to ban drivers under the age of 21 from consuming any alcohol before driving has been challenged on a constitutional basis.
On one side of the argument, 20 year-old Kevin Wiener argues that the law is unconstitutional because it discriminates solely on age. The law is said to be discriminating on age and should be based on years of experience driving. There are other ways to prevent drinking and driving without discriminating on age.
On the other side of the coin, Transportation Minister Kathleen Wynne states that the rules have changed based on evidence. At the age of 22 driving statistics start to change and 19, 20 and 21 are the peak years for drinking and driving. So by creating this law they will potentially prevent many drinking and driving accidents.
Here at Canadian Law Discussion we are all in favour of safety for Canadian citizens. However we feel that this law is clearly discriminatory against young drivers, and that drinking and driving is a problem with all ages. Not just within this age group. Even though drinking before driving is a big safety concern we do not think the reasonable limits clause applies. Banning one age group will not eliminate the problem. What will eliminate the problem is banning drinking and driving entirely from all ages.
So what do you think? Is this law good because it is based on statistics, or is it discriminating against young drivers. We urge you to leave comments on our Cases section and join the conversation with your opinion, and remember. Arrive alive, drive sober.