The Ontario government is getting tougher on impaired drivers. As of May 1, a driver caught with a blood alcohol concentration from 0.05 to 0.08 – within the so-called warn range – faces longer license suspensions and other sanctions.

The new rules see impaired drivers face a three-day licenses suspension for the first instance, as opposed to the previous 12 hour suspension.

A second instance will result in a seven day suspension and mandatory attendance at an alcohol education program. For third or subsequent infractions, drivers will face a 30 day suspension from driving and will be compelled to complete a remedial alcohol treatment program. They will also have to use an ignition interlock for six months.

An ignition interlock is an in-car alcohol breath screening device that prevents a vehicle from starting if it detects a blood alcohol concentration over a pre-set limit of 0.02.

The Ontario government says that nearly a quarter of all fatalities on the province’s roads involve impaired drivers. The summer months, especially June and July, typically bring an increase in the number of impaired drivers on the roads.