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There is no question that drunk drivers can pose a risk to themselves and others who are on the road the same time they are. As a result, there is a fairly consistent effort to try to reduce the number of drivers who are intoxicated on Toronto area roads. Just how well those efforts are working is debatable. The Ontario Provincial Police recently provided statistics regarding the number of such individuals on roads in the Toronto metro area.
Throughout the province the number of drunk drivers who face charges is down by 11 percent. Despite these lower numbers, according to the OPP, the number of drunk driving charges in the Toronto area is actually up. In the first seven months of the year, the total number of charges tied to driving over the legal limit or impaired driving, was up 31 percent. That equates to 1,020 criminal charges as compared to the 776 that were issued during the same period, last year.
At the same time, the number of deaths attributed to alcohol use has fallen significantly. While between January 1 and August 1 in 2014, a total of 34 people died, during that same time period this year, only 19 individuals have lost their lives.
There are likely multiple factors that contribute to the higher number of drunk driving arrests in the Toronto area. These include the fact that there are significantly more vehicles in the metro areas as compared to rural portions of the province. In addition, in the Toronto area, a higher number of drivers report individuals who they believe are intoxicated while driving.
The higher number of drunk driving charges in the Toronto area could leave many individuals in this situation unsure of what course of action to take. A criminal defense lawyer can assist in the matter and should be contacted as soon as possible following an arrest.
