Did you know that there are 3 different alcohol convictions in The Compulsory Automobile Insurance Act in Canada’s Criminal code?
Yep, there are.
Here are the 3 convictions:
1. BAC over .08
2. Refuse Breathalyzer
3. Impaired
That third charge, impaired, is the broadest one. To be convicted of impaired, it’s not a breathalyzer test that needs to prove that you were impaired. Rather, the cop that charged you must demonstrate to a judge why he thinks you were impaired. He will state certain things, things like you had a smell of alcohol on your breath, your eyes were blood-shot red, you were unsteady on your feet, your fine motor skills seemed to be suffering, etc. Then it’s the officer’s credibility against you.
Impaired driving includes impaired by drugs
That charge of impaired could encompass more than just alcohol; it could include driving while impaired by drugs too.
As you probably know, marijuana is now legal in Canada.
With marijuana being legal, more people might have access to it. More people might, then, drive while being under the influence of marijuana. If you drive while under the influence of marijuana, you’ll be impaired by drugs. Even though there might not yet be a way to test the amount of drugs in your system, like there is with an alcohol breathalyzer test, you can still be charged and convicted of being impaired.
How will this affect car insurance?
If convicted of driving while impaired by drugs, how will this affect your car insurance?
Well, the charge will carry the same severity on your car insurance as any alcohol conviction does now – It will be a serious conviction and will affect your rates quite a bit. Every situation is different and other factors that could affect your rate include things like your age, marital status, postal code, previous claims, other tickets, etc. With that being said, the rate also might not be as bad as you think.
If you’ve been convicted of driving while impaired by drugs, call me for a quote. It takes just about five minutes to do a quote; it’s quick and easy.
