A Safe Ride Home

Listen to our public service announcements on safe driving! (wma files, open with Windows Media Player)

James' Message       Joanne's Message

Alcohol responsibility for party hosts

Party organizers need to know that they are responsible for the actions and safety of their guests.

If you are holding a grad event, whether it is an official school event or a party afterwards, have a plan in place to ensure that no one leaves without a safe drive home.

Here are some suggested ways to make sure everyone gets home safe:

• Print out, and use this transportation worksheet
• Ask everyone to plan ahead for a safe ride home.  You could do this at pre-grad events, a SafeGrad assembly, while selling grad tickets, and by asking guests to sign a Contract for Life.
• Keep the name and phone number of a taxicab posted by the phone or have the local number of the transit system so guests can call to find out when the next bus comes by.
• Ask your school to plan a campaign (or do it yourself) with pre-paid phone cards and encourage your graduates to buy them to call home
• Try to make sure your guests avoid walking home alone
• Collect and put away all car keys
• Identify designated drivers, and support their choice by providing non-alcoholic drinks.
• Have guests stay over if you are concerned about them
• Don’t forget that as a host you are responsible for your guests until they are sober

Sources:

Reality Check: Planning a Smart Grad, Ottawa-Carleton Health Department.

Party in the Right Spirit City of North York, Metropolitan Separate School board, North York Board of Education

Drinking and Driving - What the Law Says

Ontario has TOUGH laws to reduce motor vehicle crashes related to impaired driving.

If you are stopped by the police while you are operating any motor vehicle, and give them reason to believe that you have been drinking, the police can demand that you provide them with a breath sample. This simple test measures your Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC).

Motor vehicles included under drinking and driving laws are:

• Cars
• Trucks
• Motorcycles
• Boats
• Snowmobiles
• ATVs
• Tractors & Riding lawn mowers
• Riding golf carts

If your BAC is over the legal limit of 80 mg% (.08), you could be arrested and charged with a criminal offense. If you refuse to provide a breath sample, the police can charge you with failure to provide a breath sample as well as impaired driving. For either of these offenses, your driver’s license can be immediately suspended for 90 days under the Administrative Driver’s Licence Suspension (ADLS) program.

What happens when someone is found guilty of drinking and driving? 

For complete details on this, check out this page of the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario's website.

If you are impaired and get into a car crash and someone gets hurt, you would most likely be charged with impaired driving causing bodily harm or impaired driving causing death in the case of a fatality. These charges could result in several years in jail.  In addition to the court’s sentence, the injured parties could also sue you for compensation for their injuries.

If you are found guilty in court, the consequences could include:

• A fine
• Probation or jail
• Counseling and education
• Plus the associated legal costs

A conviction means you will have a criminal record. A record can affect your ability to get a job and travel to other countries. Your license will also be suspended for one year. Your insurance will increase between 100% to 500% - if you can find an insurance company that will insure you at all.

How do you avoid all of these problems?

• Plan ahead
• Designate a driver or use public transportation

And remember… There is NO safe limit for drinking and driving.

For more information, see the MTO's Impaired Driving page, or call 1-800-268-4686 or TTY: 1-866-471-8929

1.     Remain at the scene.
You must offer assistance and provide personal, vehicle and insurance information to any person who has suffered a loss or damage as a result of the collision.         

2.     Look for immediate danger.
If you see hydro lines on or near the vehicle, or you suspect electrical currents could be running through or surrounding the vehicle, stay inside the vehicle until properly trained personnel make the situation safe for everyone involved. 

3.     Determine injury/Call for help.
If you can safely exit your vehicle, determine if anyone is injured and provide first aid, if possible.  If you can't provide first aid, you must make arrangements for injured people to receive medical treatment.  If anyone is injured as a result of a collision, you must contact police.

4.     Move vehicles to the side of the road if possible
If vehicles are posing a safety hazard move them to the side of the road or to a safe location.  If not movable, try to provide some warning to oncoming traffic in order to prevent a secondary collision.

5.    Stand away from the vehicle, off to the side of the road.
Other motorists may not be paying attention to their driving and secondary collisions may result.  Standing away from your vehicle will lessen the likelihood of further injury.

6.   Assess damage to the vehicle. Contact the police if damage is >$1,000.00.
If you are involved in a collision with another vehicle, and the apparent damage is over $1,000.00 to one or both vehicles, the police must be contacted.  Both drivers may be directed to attend the Police Reporting Centre to file a report.   

7.    Contact the police if alcohol or drugs are involved or if the collision damages highway property.
If there are injuries, or if criminal activity is involved in the collision a police officer must attend the scene to investigate.  A police report must be filed if the collision results in damage to highway property, e.g. fencing, traffic lights, and traffic signs. 

8.   You can make arrangements to cover damages without insurance companies if damage is <$1,000.00 and if all parties agree.

The Highway Traffic Act mandates drivers to exchange:
·         Names, addresses, driver's license numbers
·         Province that issued the driver's license
·         Insurance company names and policy numbers
·         Names and addresses of the registered owner of the vehicle
·         License plate numbers   

9.  Do not discuss fault or admit liability.
     You should not discuss fault or make any admissions of liability. 

Common Sense Must Be Used In All Situations
Click here for a printable version of these tips!