My son or daughter has been charged with impaired driving. What should I do?

We get a lot of calls from parents whose child has just been charged with impaired driving offences. If they are under the age of 18 at the time of the offence they will be charged under the youth YCJA (young offenders). If they are 18 or older, they may be young, but they are still an adult and their case will be handled by the adult criminal justice system. All DUI related offences in Canada (impaired, over 80, refusal), have mandatory minimum penalties including a criminal record upon conviction. Whether your child is 18 or 50 years old they are for the most part looking at the same possible punishments assuming the facts of the case are the same.

If your child is under 18 they are also subject to a possible adult criminal record and jail time however they are in a much better position and it is unlikely they will receive a jail sentence in cases where nobody was physically hurt. They may still receive an adult criminal record however so it remains an extremely serious charge for them.

As the parent of a child who was charged with impaired driving you may be liable civilly if they were involved in an accident.

Many youths and young adults are still insured under their parents' car insurance policy (especially if they live with them). If someone insured under that policy drinks and drives and gets into an accident, this is normally a violation of the terms of the car insurance policy. This means the insurance company may sue you (their client) to recover their losses if they have to pay money out as a result of a drunk driving accident. If you own a home, it is likely that you have a substantial amount of equity in that house and the insurance company may look to sue you given that you have a known asset that they can collect financial damages against.

If your child is charged with a DUI related offence you should call us now for legal advice. In many cases things can be done to avoid a criminal record and there may also be civil liability issues that need to be proactively addressed to potentially avoid a lawsuit.


Call us today.
You don't have to jeopardize your future or waste thousands of dollars on excessive legal fees. We provide effective and affordable lawyer representation for those charged with impaired driving offences throughout Ontario.

Have a skilled criminal lawyer who focuses on impaired driving related charges protect you and your future from the stigma and consequences of a criminal record.





Are you a lawyer? If you are defending an impaired driving related case and are looking for expert advice regarding possible defences, case strategies, and information release management call us at: 647-228-5969.

Please note: We do not accept legal aid certificate cases. All clients are handled on a private retainer only.

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